


30 Days

by FloraTheWriter



Category: Stray Kids (Band)
Genre: A little kissing, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Humor, M/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-01
Updated: 2019-05-01
Packaged: 2020-02-10 21:40:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 39
Words: 32,999
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18668911
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FloraTheWriter/pseuds/FloraTheWriter
Summary: "You're our lucky winner for today.""Um so... What did I win?""You won me."





	1. Day One

**Author's Note:**

> This is taken from my Wattpad acc FloraTheWriter.  
> I hope you enjoy it <3

Minho gave Chan and Woojin a disgusted look. "Can you both stop making me feel so sick?"

Chan picked up the bread knife and pointed it at Minho. "Just because you're afraid of relationships, it doesn't mean everyone else can't have them."

"Baby, calm down," Woojin chuckled, carefully taking the knife from Chan's grip and continuing to feed him small bites of cake.

Minho rolled his eyes. "I'm not afraid. Relationships are just oppressive. They're designed to suck all the fun out of life," he smirked.

Woojin laughed. "What's so oppressive about relationships?"

"It's like..." Minho looked thoughtfully at the ceiling. "Relationships are like algebra."

"Algebra?" Chan raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah," Minho chuckled. "Too complicated to understand, too boring to stimulate your interests for long periods, and useless in the long run." Minho winked at the waiter who placed his beer on the table. He blushed and giggled, before moving on to the next customer.

"Seriously, he has a ring on his finger," Chan remarked, noticing the way Minho was checking him out.

Minho shrugged. "That hasn't stopped me before."

"You're disgusting," Chan retorted.

"Collect your man before I kick his ass," Minho said to an amused Woojin.

"What's with the day drinking anyway?" Woojin asked, pointing to the beer. "Don't you have classes today?"

"I'm skipping," Minho shrugged.

"You've skipped most of your classes this year," Woojin shook his head. "It's your final year of college. At least make an effort."

"Oh for fucks sake," Minho swore out loud. "Why do you both always nag me so much? I swear you've both gotten worse since you started dating!"

"Why do you always blame everything on us dating?" Chan glared at his friend. "Woojin is just trying to help you out."

"I don't need help," Minho shrugged.

"You know," Chan sighed, "you only think we've gotten worse since we started dating, but dating has actually made us more mature. And what's wrong with growing up, Minho? You should try it sometime."

Minho rolled his eyes, ignoring Chan and sipping on his drink.

"Minho," Woojin waited till Minho gave him his attention. "You can't carry on like this."

"Like what?" Minho asked, already knowing what Woojin was going to say.

"Like that. Like nothing matters," Woojin explained. "You can't have one night stands for the rest of your life. You can't skip every class. You can't spend your free time drinking beer and –

"You just want me to be like you and Chan," Minho made a face at them. "What's so wrong with one night stands?"

"I just think your life will change if you commit yourself to someone," Woojin tried to convince Minho. "Just a little commitment can make a huge difference," he said.

"Forget it," Chan scoffed. "He's obviously too scared to commit."

"I'm not scared –

"Yeah, you are," Chan laughed. "Lee Minho is afraid of relationships," he smirked, knowing he was provoking the raven haired boy.

"CHAN, I'M NOT AFRAID," he glared at Chan, ignoring the stares from the other customers and the staff. "I could have a relationship with anyone if I wanted to. I just don't want to."

"Cause you're afraid," Chan laughed.

"Fine!" Minho slapped his hand on the table. "I'll go on a date with the first person who walks into this café."

"One date isn't a commitment, mate," Chan scoffed. "How about... 30 days?"

"30 days?" Minho asked, confused.

"Yeah," Chan smiled smugly. "Date someone for 30 days." Minho gulped, staring up at the ceiling. "Unless you're too afra –

"Fine," Minho agreed, surprising Woojin and Chan. "I'll do it."

"With the next person who walks into this café?" Woojin asked, shocked that Minho had actually agreed.

Minho nodded, wondering what he'd just gotten himself into.

"Well, there you go," Woojin pointed in amusement at the café door that had just begun to open. An elderly lady hobbled in with her walking stick, taking a seat at one of the tables.

All three boys burst into laughter. "Okay, the next person who walks in, then," Chan chuckled at the look on Minho's face. The door squeaked open again and Minho whipped his head around to see who it was.

He was dressed in black skinny jeans, a plain black t-shirt and a suit jacket. His blonde bangs brushed the top of his red rimmed glasses. Minho tilted his head to the side. "He looks... boring," Minho said, scrunching his nose and turning back to Woojin and Chan.

"Oh my gosh," Chan nudged Woojin. "Isn't that Jeongin's and Seungmin's boss?"

"Yeah, it is," Woojin smiled. "We met him a few weeks ago when we took the boys out for lunch."

Minho raised his eyebrows. "You never take me out for lunch."

Woojin rolled his eyes. "They're babies."

"Eighteen year old babies," Minho looked at him skeptically.

"And they're our housemates," Chan added. Woojin had officially moved into Chan's room, leaving his bedroom empty. The logical thing to do was get someone else to rent the apartment with them. Jeongin and Seungmin had just started college and were looking for a place to stay so the living arrangement was perfect.

"Hey, I could have been your housemate if you let me rent your room instead of those two," Minho argued.

"No thanks," Woojin and Chan said in unison, laughing.

"Um Minho," Chan smirked. "I know you're just stalling."

"Yeah Minho, go for it," Woojin urged. "You're lucky – because he's definitely gay."

"How do you know he's gay?" Minho asked, curiously.

"Seungmin said so," Woojin shrugged. "Apparently he and his boyfriend broke up a while ago."

"But how does Seungmin know –

"Just go for it," Chan urged. "Think about it this way. If some random guy had walked in instead, it would be more difficult because you'd first need to find out if he's gay and then you'd have to find out if he's single and then –

"Yeah I get the point," Minho snapped. He cleared his throat. Nothing about this was easy. Was Chan right? Was he really afraid of commitment? No, I'm not.

"But how are you even going to convince him to date you for 30 days?" Woojin laughed.

Minho scoffed. "Convince him? Are you serious? It'll be a privilege for anyone to date Lee Minho," he smirked.

 

 

Jisung wasn't hungry but he knew he needed to eat before he took his medication. It was a Tuesday so the café wasn't very busy. He was glad that it was conveniently situated just opposite his book store. He made sure to go directly to the counter, and to avoid looking at the people around him. People made him anxious.

"I'll have my usual," he smiled at the lady over the counter.

"Of course," she smiled, getting his slice of cheesecake and coffee.

"Excuse me," he felt a tap on his shoulder. He reluctantly turned around and drew in a breath when he found himself staring into two beautiful dark eyes. The boy's pink lips were curved into a slight smile, almost a smirk.

"Congratulations," the boy's smile widened as he ran his fingers through his raven hair.

"Uhh," Jisung frowned, "what for?"

"You're our lucky winner for today," the boy grinned. Jisung was surprised at how musical his voice sounded.

"L-lucky winner?" Jisung asked, nervously. "Um so... what did I win?"

The boy chuckled, making Jisung feel something strange in the pit of his tummy – something he hadn't felt in a while.

"You won me." The boy gestured to himself, even twirling around so Jisung could get a full view.

Jisung blinked. "W-what? I don't underst -

"Oh honey, it's simple," the boy reached out to put an arm around Jisung, but Jisung flinched away. "I'm yours. For thirty days. Aren't you lucky?" the boy smirked.

Jisung rolled his eyes. He'd had enough of people making fun of him for being gay. "You know what?" he asked, grabbing his cheesecake and coffee from the counter. "No thanks."

Minho stood open mouthed, in shock that he'd been rejected for the first time in his life. Chan and Woojin who had observed the entire scene were now doubled over in laughter.


	2. Day One

Jisung slipped off his jacket and sat in his favourite armchair behind the counter. He began to angrily dig into his cheesecake. "Is everything alright, Mr. Han?" the boy who was working at the counter today, observed his boss's sour mood.

"Yes, Jeongin, thank you," Jisung forced himself to smile at the cute boy. Jeongin nodded and returned to watching the Family Shark video on his phone. Jisung raised an eyebrow at the strange music, but didn't comment.

"Mr Han," his other part-time worker, Seungmin appeared. "I've finished packing all the new books onto the shelves," he said proudly.

"Ah thank you," Jisung nodded. "Why don't you take a break and -

Jisung turned his attention to the door that had just opened. He paled.

"Minho hyung!" Jeongin waved.

"You know him?" Jisung made a face, surprised at the distasteful company Jeongin keeps.

"He's friends with our housemates," Jeongin explained.

Seungmin nodded. "We don't really like him but he visits a lot." Minho glared at Seungmin who shrugged. "Just being honest."

"I'm not here for you anyway, little brat," Minho flicked Seungmin's forehead and leaned on the counter. "I'm here for him. He pointed at Jisung who reddened. Jisung stood up. "Guys, take a break," he said, his eyes locked on Minho's.

Jeongin didn't have to be told twice. He pulled a protesting Seungmin out of the book store. Jisung waited for them to leave before rounding on Minho. "Look, I don't know who you think you are but –

"I'm Lee Minho," he smiled at how flustered Jisung looked. "And you should probably tell me your name, since we're dating now."

"We. Are. Not. Dating," Jisung grit his teeth and glared at Minho.

"Of course we are," Minho rolled his eyes and sat on the counter, swinging his legs over so that he was sitting only a few centimeters away from Jisung. Jisung gasped and backed away into the wall.

"L-look I'll call the police. Just –

"Ooh do you like your men in uniform?" Minho asked, wiggling his eyebrows. "I can definitely do that for you."

Jisung looked at him astounded. "Get out of my bookshop!”

"So you own this place, huh?" Minho looked around, before looking back at Jisung. He tilted his head. "You're kind of young to own a bookstore though. How old are you? I should probably know, since we're dating."

"That is none of your business," Jisung scoffed. "And. We. Are. Not. Dating."

"Honey," Minho rolled his eyes. "We're dating. You're in denial."

"Oh my God, you're crazy!" Jisung made a disgusted face.

"Crazy for you, baby," Minho winked.

"Ew," Jisung scrunched his nose.

Minho ignored him. "So where do you wanna eat tonight? It's our first date so it shouldn't be too fancy, you know?"

Jisung looked at him blankly. He glanced at the stapler on the counter, wondering if he'd be able to reach it in time, somehow knock out the crazy guy, and make a call to the police.

"Actually," Minho said, grabbing the half eaten cheesecake off the counter. "Maybe we can call this our first date." Jisung's jaw dropped as Minho began eating the cheesecake, seductively licking the fork. "I mean," Minho swallowed another bite of cake, "we're eating and we're getting to know each other. It's a date, right?"

"You're cra -

"See you tomorrow, baby," Minho swung his legs back over the counter and hopped off. He winked, making his way to the door, before impulsively turning around and blowing Jisung a kiss.

Jisung remained backed against the wall, trying to understand what had just happened. "What a weirdo," Jisung mumbled under his breath, scrambling to find his pills.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading <3


	3. Day One

Minho wiggled his eyebrows at his friends. "We bonded over cheesecake." They were back at Woojin and Chan's apartment, after they'd called him over for an update.

Woojin's jaw dropped. "So you had an actual first date?"

"Yep," Minho lied, chuckling as he remembered the blonde boy's shocked expression. He'd almost felt sorry for him but he needed to prove a point to Chan and Woojin, and someone had to be the victim. Unfortunately for... wait, what's his name? Minho knitted his eyebrows together.

"I can't believe it," Chan said. "The Lee Minho actually went on a date."

"Ooh, you didn't sleep with him, did you?" Woojin made a face.

Minho rolled his eyes. "Not yet. Maybe tomorrow," he said casually. But I need to at least know his name.

"You can't sleep with him so soon," Chan rolled his eyes.

Minho laughed. "Why not? Is there some kind of rule?"

"It's not a rule," Woojin rolled his eyes. "But –

"Great, I don't care about rules anyway," Minho shrugged.

"Yes, Minho, we know that," Woojin snapped. "But if you care about him, you can't just –

"Whoa whoa whoa!" Minho looked amused. "Who said anything about caring?"

"How do you commit to someone you don't care about?" Chan asked skeptically.

"Easy," Minho shrugged. "You pretend." Chan and Woojin shook their heads in disapproval. "Now, where are Jeongin and Seungmin?" Minho asked. "I need their help."

Both boys were busy with their homework when Minho barged into their room. "I want some information," he said, making himself comfortable on Jeongin's bed.

Jeongin and Seungmin exchanged a look. "What information?" Seungmin asked, narrowing his eyes.

"I need a name," Minho, grabbed a nail file from their dresser and set to work on his nails.

"What name?" Jeongin asked, shaking his head at Minho's lack of manners.

"Your boss's name," Minho smiled his most charming smile.

Seungmin wasn't having any of it. "Why?" he asked. "And why were you in the bookshop today? What do you want with my boss?" he asked, his arms folded.

"Hey," Minho snapped, leaning forward. "Do you work there packing shelves or as his personal body guard? Give me the name. Now."

"Han Jisung," Seungmin said quickly.

Minho smiled, satisfied. Han Jisung, my 30 day boyfriend. "And how old is he?"

Jeongin looked taken aback. "Minho hyung, how would we know? It's not like that's something you just ask your boss."

"You seem to know a lot about him," Minho shrugged. "I mean you knew he's gay."

"Yeah, because his boyfriend used to hang out at the store a lot," Seungmin explained. “I saw him when I first started working there.”

"You really don't know his age?" Minho asked, annoyed. Both boys nodded. "I guess it doesn't matter, anyway."

"But why are you asking all these questions, hyung?" Jeongin was curious. As far as he knew, his boss wasn't Minho's type. His boss seemed too decent to be into one night stands.

Minho smiled and patted Jeongin's head. "Why so curious, cutie?"

"Mate," Chan appeared in the doorway. "Get your evil intentions away from my baby," he narrowed his eyes at Minho.

Minho smiled, playfully. He licked his lips and began leaning forward towards Jeongin.

"Okay, that's it," Chan rolled up his sleeves and Minho quickly scrambled off the bed.

 

"He still hasn't replied to my texts," Jisung said, his voice giving away his exhaustion. "I don't know what to do."

His therapist Namjoon tilted his head. "Is it something you can control?"

Jisung shook his head. "Nope."

"Then try not to stress out about it," Namjoon smiled. "Has your day been good? What did you do today?"

"Just... the bookshop," Jisung said, playing with the little desk ornaments. "I went to the café to get lunch. It wasn't busy so it wasn't bad. But..." Jisung remembered the strange guy's handsome face, his dark eyes, his lips, his voice. No, what am I thinking?

"But?" Namjoon asked, gently.

"There was a weird guy there. He followed me to the bookshop and insisted that we're dating," Jisung said, frowning.

"Well," Namjoon clasped his hands together. "Is it so bad that someone wants to date you, Jisung?"

Jisung looked up at the therapist. "I – I just... he was rude." He lowered his gaze again.

The therapist nodded, sensing that Jisung wasn't ready to talk about that yet. "You usually go shopping on Tuesdays," he remarked. "How was it today?"

Jisung's eyes widened. "I – I – Today..." He sighed. "I couldn't do it. I just couldn't."

"Was the supermarket too busy?" Namjoon asked.

Jisung nodded, gulping as he recalled how he'd taken one look at the crowded place and had turned on his heel to head back home.

"You'll have to eventually go in," Namjoon said, concerned. "You do need food, after all."

"I know!" Jisung snapped. Namjoon wasn't surprised. He'd been seeing Jisung since he was in high school. He knew the boy's temperament too well.

"I know it's hard for you, Jisung," Namjoon told him.

"It was never this hard when he was here," Jisung said, tears pooling in his eyes. "He'd hold my hand and everything would just feel better. But now he's holding someone else's hand. He's moving on."

"What about you?" Namjoon asked. "Are you going to move on too?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading <3


	4. Day Two

Jisung had spent the entire day at his bookshop looking out for the crazy guy. It was probably a joke after all. He smiled in relief as he locked up the shop, steeling himself for what awaited him at the supermarket. His therapist was right. He couldn't avoid it forever. He did need groceries.

He turned around and gasped. Leaning against the lamppost on the street corner was the crazy guy himself, Lee Minho. Oh crap. Jisung paled, quickly turning to the door and trying to unlock it again. He saw a shadow pass over him and he saw Minho's smiling reflection in the glass door.

"Hey, baby," Minho grinned. "Ready for our date?"

Jisung reddened. "We are not going on any date!" he turned to face Minho and immediately regretted it. Minho's eyes reflected the setting sun, the corners of his smile, drawing Jisung in. He somehow managed to make the plain blue jeans and tucked in brown shirt look highly chic.

"Baby, there's no need to shout," Minho walked towards him, like a model on a runway.

Jisung gulped. "S-stay away."

Minho chuckled, his hands on either side of Jisung, their bodies almost touching. "No can do, Jisung."

H-how do you know my name?" Jisung tried to focus on his breathing. One, two, three, four...

Minho looked down at the boy who'd frozen in place. His fists were clenched at his sides and his eyes were squeezed shut. His breathing was erratic, and Minho realized that the boy was really struggling to breathe. He quickly stepped back, tilting his head. I know I'm hot but do I actually have that effect on people?

Jisung slowly opened his eyes, relieved to see that Minho had moved a few steps back. "G-get away f-from me." He began walking down the street, and at the same time rummaging in his bag for some water.

"So where are we going?"

Jisung almost choked on his water. "Why are you following me?" he asked nervously, as Minho caught up to him. "Just leave me alone."

"What kind of boyfriend would I be if I did that?" Minho chuckled.

"B-boyfriend?" Jisung stopped in his tracks. "Okay, you really are crazy," he glared at Minho.

"Crazy and yours," Minho smiled. "For thirty days."

Jisung scoffed. "No thanks, you're not my type."

Minho smirked. "Lee Minho is everyone's type, baby."

"Oh just shut up!" Jisung rolled his eyes, walking away, this time at a faster pace. To his dismay, Minho just followed. "Why are you so persistent?" Jisung asked Minho when he'd followed him all the way to the supermarket.

"Oh come on," Minho made a face. "The supermarket? You wanna have our date here?"

"No," Jisung folded his arms. "I don't. I want to do my shopping here. And..." he grabbed a shopping basket, "I want to get away from you."

He made his way inside the supermarket, trying to calm his nerves as the afternoon shoppers swarmed around. He watched in disbelief as Minho caught up to him. "Okay," Minho nodded. "A supermarket date. I guess there's a first time for everything."

"This. Is. Not. A -

"Yeah whatever," Minho laughed. "Shall we begin our date now?" he pointed to the aisle ahead of them.

Jisung shook his head, ignoring Minho. He made his way down the vegetable aisle, placing vegetables into his basket.

"What are you even gonna do with that stuff?" Minho asked, looking at Jisung's basket.

Jisung looked at him blankly. "Cook. Eat."

"Domestic stuff," Minho made a face, watching Jisung place a can of baked beans into his basket.

"Do you have a problem with that?" Jisung snapped.

"Yeah, I don't do the uhh domestic stuff," Minho shrugged.

"No one asked," Jisung muttered, trying to recall whether there was cereal at home. He'd get some just in case. He stood awkwardly, waiting for some of the people in the cereal aisle to clear out.

"What are we waiting for?" Minho whispered, making Jisung jump.

"Why are you still here?" Jisung frowned. "Don't you have someone else to annoy?"

"Of course I do," Minho shrugged. "But I only have one Jisung to date so..."

"If that was an attempt at flirting, it sucked," Jisung rolled his eyes.

"I don't usually have to flirt," Minho admitted. "All I do is smile, sometimes wink. Yeah they really love the wink," he said thoughtfully.

Jisung shook his head. "Wow, you do this a lot, huh?"

"This?" Minho laughed. "Hell no. I don't date. At all."

"Yet you want to date me," Jisung muttered. A few people left the cereal aisle and Jisung took the opportunity to grab a box of Cheerios. What else do I need? Oh strawberry milk! He lived off the stuff.

He scanned the shelves, trying to ignore the fact that Minho was hovering. "Banana, lime, chocolate..." he read the labels. "Strawberry, where are you?"

"Can I help?" Minho asked, his eyes taking in the interior of the supermarket.

"No," Jisung frowned. Giving up on the strawberry milk, he began to walk away.

"You can just ask this shop assistant if they have strawberry milk," Minho suggested, pointing to a nearby staff member.

Jisung reddened. "W-what? N-no."

Minho knitted his brows together. "Why not?" he asked, catching up to Jisung.

Jisung felt his stomach start to twist. Just the thought of approaching a stranger made him feel sick. He shook his head, making his way to the cashier. He waited impatiently in the queue. He breathed in relief when he realized Minho was nowhere around. Finally bailed, huh.

It was his turn to pay now. He took a deep breath, forgetting to greet the cashier. She shot him a disapproving look. He began unloading his basket and jumped in surprise when he saw a pack of six bottles of strawberry milk being placed in front of him. Strawberry milk!

He looked up at Minho who smiled smugly. "You're welcome, baby," Minho whispered, making Jisung's cheeks heat up.

Jisung cleared his throat, taking out his card to pay. He nearly dropped it, making his cheeks turn more red. He tried to hurry and pay but ended up placing his card the wrong way in the machine. He felt like dying out of embarrassment. Minho observed how Jisung nearly dropped the card again. What's with him? "I got this," he told Jisung, carefully taking the card from his grip and placing it in the machine. The cashier smiled thankfully at Minho, shooting Jisung another glare.

Jisung kept his gaze lowered as he carried his packet of groceries out of the store. "Let me take that for you," Minho said. "It's what boyfriends do, right?" he laughed.

Jisung hugged his packet to his chest. "Go away."

Minho sighed. "But, baby, I can't let you walk home all by yourself."

"There's no way I'm letting you find out where I live," Jisung glared at him. "You might turn up on my doorstep with your luggage," he muttered under his breath.

Minho pouted. Are all boyfriends this difficult or is it just this guy? "Fine," he sighed. "But I'll see you bright and early tomorrow!" Minho smiled, in what he hoped was a seductive way.

Jisung felt his cheeks heat up again.

Minho noticed. He grinned, satisfied. "So do I get a kiss now? Or should we start off with a hug?"

Jisung quickly stepped back. "W-what?"

"You know," Minho shrugged, "usually, the clothes come off straight away. But I don't really know what your vibe is yet, so..."

"My vibe?" Jisung narrowed his eyes. "Yeah, no. There's no vibe. Please go away." He began walking away.

Minho stayed where he was and chuckled. "You'll be begging for it in a few days!" he called out, teasing Jisung.

Jisung kept walking, surprised at Minho's crudeness. After a minute, he glanced behind him. Minho was gone. For some reason, he felt disappointed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading <3


	5. Day Two

Chan's jaw dropped. "A supermarket? You actually went to a supermarket?"

Woojin stared at Minho. "You're joking, right?"

Minho shook his head as he shovelled spaghetti into his mouth. "Nope."

"Whoa," Chan and Woojin said in unison.

"I think he's finally growing up," Woojin whispered to Chan who nodded proudly.

"It was weird," Minho admitted. "I mean it's been like ten years since I've done anything like that. And he is so weird."

"Tell us about him," Woojin grinned. He loved sappy love stories.

"Umm," Minho hummed. "He has fluffy blonde hair..."

Woojin rolled his eyes. "Yeah, Minho, we already know what he looks like. Tell us about his personality."

Minho sighed, trying to recall something about Jisung's personality. "Oh! Strawberry milk! He likes it!"

"Did someone say strawberry milk?" Jeongin poked his head out of his room.

"I'll bring you some, baby!" Woojin hurried to the kitchen.

"So that's all you know about him?" Chan scoffed, unimpressed.

"No," Minho pouted. "He's shy, I think," Minho shrugged. "I think he doesn't like talking to people. But I'll find out more about him tomorrow."

"What are your plans?" Chan smiled, happy that Minho was making the effort.

"I don't know," Minho sighed. "Something more fun than the supermarket, I hope."

Chan shook his head. "Minho, relationships aren't just about going on dates. The normal stuff matters too."

"You mean the boring, domestic stuff," Minho made a face.

Chan laughed. "To tell you the truth, Woojin and I have shared some of our best moments together, just by doing the boring, domestic stuff." Minho shrugged, indicating that he didn't understand. "You'll understand, eventually," Chan reassured him. "I hope sooner rather than later."

 

 

Jisung flopped down on his bed. He'd just put away his groceries that he knew he wouldn't really be using. It had been a while since he actually cooked a meal. He just didn't see the need anymore. He scrolled through his Instagram feed, his eyes darkening when he saw a new post from him. His hand was linked with the hand of a smiling boy who he was looking at adoringly. You used to look at me like that. He scrolled through the unread texts, a sinking feeling in his chest.

 

**Jisung:**

_How are you?_

_Are you coming back soon?_

_You looked good in your post today_

_Are you happy?_

_I need you_

_I know it was my fault_

_Please come back_

 

Can I get any more pathetic? He wondered, switching off his phone.

He went to the kitchen, filling up a glass with water and downing two of his pills. He sunk down to the kitchen floor, hating the silence that filled the empty space. He curled up on the cold tiles, glad that the pills were kicking in and sleep was taking hold of him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading <3


	6. Day Three

Jisung sat uncomfortably in front of the counter. Jeongin had classes and Seungmin said that he'd be late to work. That meant that Jisung had to look after the bookstore by himself - and that meant interacting with people. Jisung hoped the store would remain quiet until one of the boys arrived. He cringed when he heard the door squeak open. He prepared himself. Just smile, be polite. But his smile soon faded.

"Good morning, baby," Minho smiled, walking up to the counter.

"Not your baby," Jisung muttered, his eyes on the book in front of him.

Minho chuckled, hopping onto the counter. He observed Jisung. His fingers kept fidgeting with the edges of the pages. His eyes moved to random spots on the page, indicating that he wasn't actually reading anything. "Enjoying your book?" Minho enquired.

"Yes," Jisung kept his eyes fixed on the book that he actually wasn’t enjoying.

"Liar," Minho laughed. Jisung's eyes met his over the top of his book. Minho was stunned by the dark depths of his irises.

"Don't you have a life?' Jisung asked, annoyed. "Work? School?"

"Ooh, aren't you a curious cat!" Minho cooed, leaning forwards and tapping Jisung's chin with his finger. Jisung flinched and jumped out of his chair. He quickly scooted to the far side of the counter, grabbing a bottle of pills from his bag. He popped two into his mouth and threw the bottle back into his bag.

"Are you sick?" Minho asked. "I did hear there's this bug going around."

Jisung covered his face with his hands, wishing Minho would just disappear. Minho walked over to where Jisung stood, and wedged himself between the counter and Jisung's body. Jisung could feel the goosebumps on his skin, and didn't have to look to know Minho was there.

"College," Minho said, simply.

"Huh?" Jisung dropped his hands a centimeter, revealing his eyes.

"I go to college," Minho explained. "Actually," he laughed, "I don't actually go. I just skip everything."

"You seem proud of that," Jisung said, his voice muffled by his hands.

"You're younger than me, aren't you?" Minho guessed. "I'm 21. You should probably know since we're dating."

Jisung dropped his hands. "For the last time, Minho, we are not dating," he rolled his eyes. "And I'm not that much younger. I'm 19.”

"You said my name," Minho's smile widened.

Jisung reddened. "I - uh - yeah so what? Would you rather have me call you something insulting?"

"No," Minho shook his head. "But you can call me baby. Or sweetheart. Or honey. Or -

"Never," Jisung muttered. He made his way out from behind the counter, and began setting one of the shelves. He was just glad to put some distance between him and Minho.

Minho sat on the counter, watching Jisung. He had the urge to run his fingers through the fluffy blonde hair that hung above his eyes. But he knew that Jisung would probably freak out. Minho noticed that he wasn't wearing his glasses today. He was dressed entirely in black - a look that suited him. Black jeans, black t-shirt, black coat. "You look good," Minho said.

Jisung was glad he had his back turned to Minho, because his cheeks immediately heated up at the compliment.

Minho found one of the bookstore's leaflets on the counter, for the first time noticing the name of the store. "What does this mean?" Minho asked, walking over to where Jisung stood by one of the shelves.

"What?" Jisung sighed, hating that Minho had positioned himself so close again.

"The name of the store - what does it mean?" Minho asked, curiously.

Jisung sighed. "Ji is for Jisung and..."

"And?" Minho prompted.

"Nothing," Jisung shook his head. "It doesn't mean anything anymore." He hopped onto a ladder to reach the higher shelves.

"Let me do that," Minho offered.

Jisung shook his head. "I can do it."

"It's easier for me," Minho argued. "I'm tall enough."

"You’re like two centimetres taller," Jisung argued.

Minho pouted. "I just don't want my baby to get hurt," he fluttered his long eyelashes when Jisung looked down at him.

 

 

 

 

Jisung had to resist smiling, and quickly turned his attention back to the shelf.

Minho sighed and gave the ladder a hard kick. Jisung gasped as he felt himself falling backwards. He squeezed his eyes shut, waiting for the impact of the wooden floor, but it never came. He breathed a sigh of relief when he felt his fall being cushioned... by Minho's arms.

"See," Minho smirked, "you should've listened. Accidents can happen, baby."

Jisung glared at him. "Put me down right now, you - you psychopath!"

Minho shook his head. "Kiss me first."

"W-what? Y-you're crazy!" Jisung stammered. "Do you think this is some kind of cheey romance movie? Just put me down!"

Minho brought his face closer to Jisung's. "Baby, we can stay like this all day, or you can just kiss me and -

"Mr. Han!" Seungmin and Jeongin called out in unison as they entered the store. Jeongin clapped a hand over his mouth, and froze in place. Seungmin followed his gaze and gasped.

"Seungmin," Jeongin whispered, "I think Mr Han is into one night stands."

"Put me down," Jisung whispered furiously. "I can't have my staff thinking I'm some kind of uncultured -

"Relax, baby," Minho smiled at the squirming boy. To Jisung's embarrassment, Minho carried him to where Seungmin and Jeongin stood open-mouthed.

Jisung was glad when he finally felt the ground beneath his feet. "Um Seungmin, Jeongin," he smiled, embarrassed that the two boys had witnessed the entire scene.

Seungmin looked from Jisung to Minho trying to understand how he'd completely misjudged Jisung's character. If Mr Han is sleeping around with Minho he can’t be all that innocent, Seungmin decided.

"Jeongin, work at the counter and Seungmin sort out the shelves, please," Jisung quickly assigned them tasks so they wouldn't ask questions.

"We don't have to hide our relationship, baby," Minho chuckled.

Jisung glared. "There. Is. No. Relationship." He poked Minho in the chest with every word that he said.

"Honey, if you wanted to touch me so bad you should have just said so," Minho winked, catching hold of Jisung's hand and placing it over his chest.

Jisung gasped and quickly drew his hand back. "How dare –

Jisung heard his phone beeping, indicating he had several texts. He retrieved the phone from his pocket and sucked in a breath when he saw who the texts were from. "Leave me alone," he muttered to Minho, walking quickly to the stock room where he could read the texts alone.

Minho blinked in confusion and shrugged his shoulders. It was time for lunch anyway. He headed out of the bookstore, wondering whether to get takeout or just raid Chan and Woojin's apartment for food. He glanced at the bookshop sign on his way out. He smiled. Ji - for Jisung. But what does the other half mean? _JiLix_ is a strange name for a bookstore.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading <3


	7. Day Three

**Felix:**

_Hey Jisung_

_How are you?_

_You're probably busy at the store_

_I just wanted to let you know_

_I'm coming back to Korea_

_I''ll be there tomorrow evening_

_Can I come to your apartment?_

 

Jisung felt a ball of anxiety expand within him. Felix. His Felix was coming back.

 

**Jisung:**

_Of course_

_You didn't even need to ask_

 

Jisung locked up the store, smiling to himself, like he had been all day since receiving those texts. He was too caught up in imagining his reunion with Felix to notice the boy next to him.

"With a smile like that, I hope you're thinking about me," Minho commented, making Jisung jump.

"Oh, it's the psychopath," Jisung rolled his eyes and began the walk back home. "I know you're following me," he said after a few minutes.

Minho laughed from behind Jisung. "I wasn't trying to keep it a secret, baby. You just walk so fast."

"Nope," Jisung argued. "You just walk too slow."

Minho jogged to keep up, appearing at his side. "There's nothing wrong with taking it slow, honey. You enjoy more that way."

"What happened to the guy who said... what was it? Ah yes, 'the clothes usually come off straight away'," Jisung smirked.

Minho chuckled. "You have a good memory."

"Yeah well... it wouldn't hurt to forget things now and then," Jisung shrugged.

"Things like?" Minho prompted.

"Things."

"Like JiLix?" Minho asked.

Jisung sighed. "You don't even know what JiLix is."

"Your bookstore?" Minho shrugged.

"Ji is for Jisung," Jisung explained, "and Lix..."

"Lix is?"

"Felix," the word came out in a whisper.

Minho glanced at Jisung. "And this Felix... was someone important?"

"He is important," Jisung snapped.

Minho raised his eyebrows. "What happened to 'JiLix means nothing'?"

Jisung smiled to himself. "Maybe I was wrong."

"Oh," Minho nodded. "Just make sure this Felix knows you're taken for the next... what is it now? 27 days."

"Go to hell, psychopath," Jisung scoffed.

Minho laughed at the way his cheeks puffed out. "Has anyone ever told you that you look like a squirrel?"

Jisung rolled his eyes. "Yeah everyone since kindergarten."

"It's not an insult," Minho reassured him. "It's... cute."

Jisung blushed, looking away.

"Why'd you stop?" Minho asked, noticing that they were standing on the pavement.

"My apartment is here," Jisung gestured to the building behind them.

"Ah," Minho smirked, "so you let the psychopath know where you live? Not very smart, Mr Han."

"I'll be sure to sleep with a knife," Jisung said, turning on his heel and heading into the building.

"Does that mean you're not inviting me in?" Minho called out. He could have sworn he saw the start of a smile on Jisung's face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading <3


	8. Day Three

Minho, Chan, Woojin and Seungmin sat in silence as Jeongin tried to convince them that there was a potential serial killer stalking them.

"I'm telling you," he whined. "I always see him lurking in the corridor outside like he's just waiting for someone to come by and be his victim. And... and I could swear it was him I saw standing on the pavement and looking up at our apartment, like he's trying to find his first victim."

"Jeongin, baby," Chan patted his head. "You need to calm down. It's probably just some random person looking for a place to stay."

  "Then why would he walk away every time I try to talk to him?" Jeongin frowned. 

Minho laughed. "You think he's a serial killer but you try to talk to him?"

"It's a survival strategy," Jeongin explained proudly. "If I talk to him, he'll wanna be my friend. And I won't be murdered." 

Woojin frowned. "Sweetheart, don't talk to strangers, okay? If this person is dangerous, you need to stay away. And call me or Chan the next time you see him." 

Jeongin nodded, relieved that he'd been able to warn them about the potential serial killer. 

Seungmin was glad that no one noticed how red he'd become during the whole conversation. "So Minho was at the bookstore today," he tried to change the topic, "and he had Mr Han in his arms."

"Ooh!" Chan and Woojin clapped excitedly. 

 "I'm glad it's going well," Woojin smiled. 

"You didn't sleep with him, right?" Chan asked, hopefully. 

"Are you going to ask me that everyday?" Minho scoffed. "And no, I didn't... yet."

"Well, how about you stop turning up univited everyday, and we stop asking that question everyday?" Chan raised an eyebrow. 

"A guy's gotta eat," Minho shrugged.

"A guy's gotta learn how to cook," Woojin looked at him skeptically.

Minho ignored him and began flipping through TV channels. No one noticed Seungmin quietly slipping out of the door. 

  


Jisung jumped into bed, wanting an early night so he could wake up early and start preparing for his Felix's arrival. He was confident they'd be able to work things out. They always did. He reached for his bottle of sleeping pills. He needed them or the excitement would just keep him awake. He smiled as he drifted off to sleep. _Everything is going to be okay again._


	9. Day Four

Minho frowned. It was almost 10am and his 30 day boyfriend wasn't at the bookshop. In fact, no one was at the bookshop. The doors were locked.

"Whatyouwantnow?" Jeongin opened his room door groggily.

"Why were you still sleeping?" Minho frowned. "And why's the bookshop still closed?"

"You woke me up to ask me that?" Jeongin groaned.

"Just tell me!" Minho whined.

"Mr Han gave us the day off. I dunno why so don't ask me." He began to close the door but stopped. "How'd you even get into the apartment?" he asked, confused. "Aren't Channie and Woojin at college?"

"Oh," Minho smirked. "I found the spare key under a carpet last year and decided to keep it."

Jeongin gasped. "I'm gonna tell!"

 "Whatever," Minho laughed. "I gotta go, cutie. I have a boyfriend to find."

"Poor Mr Han," Jeongin muttered, before shutting the door in Minho's face.

Jisung looked around his apartment and gulped. He'd already spent half the afternoon cleaning but it still looked like a mess. _What's Felix going to think when he sees this?_ He heard a knock on his door and he began to panic. Felix said he'd be there in the evening. _What if he decided to come earlier?_ Jisung made his way to the door, taking a deep breath and slowly opening it. He blinked. "Oh, it's just you."

Minho glared at him. "Oh it's just me?" he scoffed. "Do you know how long it took me to find your apartment? There are 65 apartments in this block. Sixty five, Jisung. And your apartment number is 65!"

Jisung stared at him blankly.

"I literally met all your neighbours," Minho groaned.

Jisung sighed. "I guess I'll have to apologise to all of them later then."

"You could at least look a little happy to see me, you know," Minho frowned.

"Umm," Jisung shrugged, "But I'm _not_ happy to see you. Why are you even here?" He suddenly laughed. "I feel like I ask you that a lot."

Minho looked at him in awe. "Do that again."

"What?" Jisung asked, confused.

"Laugh," Minho smiled.

Jisung looked taken aback. "Um, no. I'm busy. Can you leave?"

"No need to be so rude, baby," Minho smirked, pushing past a protesting Jisung.

"You can't just go wherever you feel l –"

"Oh my god, you live in this mess!" Minho was shocked at the state of the apartment.

Jisung turned red, deeply embarrassed. Minho looked from Jisung to the messy surroundings and then back at Jisung. "This doesn't make sense. I mean you seem so... organized at the bookshop but here there's just..."

"I know, I know," Jisung muttered.

"How'd it even get to this point?" Minho asked, looking at the piles of dishes in the sink.

Jisung didn't know why but he felt as though he should at least try to defend his actions. "Most days I don't feel like doing anything," he admitted. "Coming home to an empty apartment just... it sucks the life out of me, you know? So I take my sleeping pills and just... pass out. And nothing gets done." He gestured to the mess around them.

"You take sleeping pills?" Minho asked, raising his eyebrows.

Jisung pursed his lips. He hadn't meant to give away that kind of information.

"Look, you should really go," Jisung explained. "I have a lot to do. I have to clean up before he gets here."

"Who?" Minho asked, cringing at the clothes strewn all over the floor.

Jisung frowned. He'd given away too much information again. "It doesn't matter. Just leave."

Minho shook his head. "It's going to take you all day to clean this up."

"Which is why I can't have you here, following me like a puppy," Jisung rolled his eyes.

"Then let me help," Minho suggested, surprising even himself. He spent so much time at Chan and Woojin's place, that his own place didn't even need to be cleaned. He wasn't sure he even knew how to clean.  

Jisung bit his lip, looking at their surroundings. "I don't know..."

"It's okay to need help," Minho tried to convince him.

Jisung looked up into Minho's eyes, and saw that he was being sincere. "Can you help me clean the kitchen?"

Minho smiled. "Sure, baby."

Jisung cringed. "You've got to stop that."

"Why, baby?" Minho chuckled, getting to work on the dishes while Jisung cleaned the counters.

"Because I'm not your baby," Jisung scowled.

"Sure you are," Minho argued. "We've been dating for four days now."

Jisung laughed, making Minho sigh in contentment. He could listen to Jisung laugh all day.

"What's with that 30 day thing, anyway?" Jisung asked. "I've never met anyone so scared of commitments that their friends have to force them to date someone."

"Hey," Minho frowned, "I'm not scared, okay? I'm only doing this thing to prove I'm not scared."

"What's so bad about committing?" Jisung asked. "It shows maturity."

"Trust," Minho admitted, more to himself than to Jisung.

"Ahh," Jisung said understanding. "Minho has trust issues."

"Not like that," Minho laughed. "I mean... I don't trust myself."

"I don't trust you either," Jisung shrugged, making Minho laugh.

"It's like..." Minho stopped rinsing the dishes and thought about it. "I'm gonna mess up somehow. There's going to be someone who I find more attractive, more appealing, and I'm gonna mess up. So I don't trust myself to commit."

"Relationships aren't built on attractiveness," Jisung rolled his eyes. "Once you find someone with a personality you like... that becomes all you need."

Minho finished washing the dishes and turned to look at Jisung. "Do you have a lot of experience with that?"

Jisung ignored the question. "I'll just pick up my clothes from the floor."

"What can I do?" Minho asked, looking around.

Jisung hummed."Do you mind dusting the furniture in the bedroom?"

Minho set to work, dusting the dresser that obviously hadn't been cleaned in a while. He scanned the many pill bottles on a shelf next to him. _What is all that?_ He wondered, but as invasive as he was, he exercised restraint by not reading the labels. His gaze turned to a framed photo of Jisung with his arms around a smiling boy. Jisung looked happy.

"You looked good with the dark hair," Minho told Jisung who he knew was standing in the doorway.

"It was a while ago," Jisung blushed. "Um so... I'm gonna shower before... he gets here."

"He," Minho repeated after Jisung, looking back at the photo. He pointed to the boy in the photo. "Is that him?"

"Yeah," Jisung sighed. "That's... my Felix."

The surge of jealousy Minho felt surprised him and he cleared his throat, quickly standing up. "I should go now."

"Actually," Jisung smiled, "I ordered pizza as a thank you. Stay?"

"Oh wow," Minho smiled. "You know you didn't have to."

"But I wanted to," Jisung smiled. "So stay."

Minho nodded. "Okay, baby," he said, making Jisung roll his eyes.

Jisung decided to shower before the pizza got there. When he was showered and dressed, he left the bedroom and surprisingly found Minho asleep on the couch. He perched on the end of the couch, in awe of how angelic Minho looked asleep. There was a knock on the door and Jisung hurriedly went to retrieve the pizza.

The knock had also woken up Minho. His eyes wandered over Jisung's body. In black skinny jeans, and a pastel pink sweater, he looked ethereal. "Whoa," Minho whispered. "You look so good."

Jisung shook his head and laughed. "Don't exaggerate."

Minho's eyes widened. "I'm being honest, baby."

"Okay, okay," Jisung rolled his eyes, not believing Minho. "Whatever. Eat." He pointed to the pizza box. "I need to dry my hair."

"Let me."

Jisung looked at him with furrowed brows. "What?"

"I'm good at that. Let me dry your hair," Minho requested.

"I... I – that's not necessary," Jisung protested, embarrassed.

But Minho was persistent and Jisung gave in. He sat behind Jisung, glad that he could finally run his fingers through his soft, fluffy hair. Jisung had his eyes closed, trying to ignore how good Minho's fingers felt in his hair. He'd unknowingly let out a little moan, making Minho smirk.

"I'm done, honey," Minho chuckled.

Jisung opened his eyes, still in a daze. He reddened. "O-oh, th-thank you," he quickly jumped up. "Pizza?"

They sat down at the kitchen table munching on the pizza. Jisung studied Minho. "You're not so bad, I guess."

"Finallly realized how hot I am?" Minho asked with a smug smile, before stuffing his mouth with pizza.

Jisung laughed. "Not like _that_ , you aren't."

 

Minho stood at the door, and Jisung looked awkwardly down at his hands. "I guess, enjoy your..." Minho didn't want to use the word 'date'. The thought of his 30 day boyfriend dating someone else annoyed him. "Enjoy your evening."

Jisung nodded. "See you around, psychopath," he laughed. Minho smiled and turned around to leave. "Hey Minho?" Jisung called.

"Yeah?" Minho turned around.

Jisung smiled. "Thank you."


	10. Day Four

"So you're telling me," Woojin doubled over in laughter, "that _the_ Lee Minho is actually committing himself to someone for 30 days, and that person is on a date with someone else?"

Chan smacked his shoulder and tried to hide his own laughter but failed.

Minho scowled. "I _said_ it's not a date... I mean, he didn't say it was a date."

"It's hilarious!" Seungmin laughed. "You're actually getting a taste of your own medicine."

Minho narrowed his eyes at the three of them. "Why did I even bother coming here today?"

"Because you were hungry," Chan shrugged.

"True," Minho agreed. "So what's for dinn –"

The apartment door opened to reveal a flustered Jeongin. "Woojin, Channie! The serial killer guy is outside! Hurry!"

Everyone got up from their seats. "I'll go see who it is," Minho told Chan and Woojin. "All of us might scare him away."

Seungmin began to panic. "W-wait!" he grasped onto the back of Minho's shirt. "I'll go!"

"You?" Minho turned around and laughed. "You're just a kid. Just wait here. I'll go," he bravely puffed out his chest.

Minho began jogging to the door, and Seungmin in a panicked state, used his foot to pull the rug out from under Minho.

Minho felt himself falling forwards, his arms flailing as he landed with a hard impact onto the floor. He yelped in pain as he moved his arm out from under him. Seungmin covered his mouth with his hand, shocked at what he'd done.

"It was a mistake," Seungmin lied as they all waited outside the doctor's room. "My foot slipped on the rug and –"

"Seungmin, honey, we understand," Woojin patted his back. "I'm sure Minho will be fine."

Minho stepped out of the doctor’s room. "Nothing broken. It's a mild sprain," he announced, glaring at Seungmin.

Seungmin laughed nervously. "S-sorry M-Minho."

Minho cradled his bandaged hand. "You're lucky I'm in too much pain to kill you, Seungmin."

"It was a mistake," Seungmin mumbled. He felt his phone vibrate. "Um you guys go on ahead," he told them. "I just remembered I left my book in the campus library and I need to get it before someone takes it."

"Hyungs," Jeongin said, when they were in the car on their way home.

"Yes Jeongin?" Woojin and Chan asked.

"What?" Minho asked, sullenly.

"Do you think Seungmin is behaving strangely these days?" Jeongin asked, frowning.

Woojin thought about it. "I don't know, Jeonginnie. You spend more time with him than we do."

"What makes you think he's behaving strangely?" Chan asked.

Jeongin sighed. "He goes out a lot at night, and he takes off from work more often," he explained.

Chan hummed. "He's probably busy with studying," he guessed. "Doesn't he spend the nights at the library studying?"

"Well," Jeongin thought about it, "last night he said he's going to the library to study, but he didn't take anything with him. Isn't that strange?"

"Oh, I don't know," Minho said bitterly, "Maybe he just wants to get away from you because you just won't stop talking."

"Minho?" Woojin called from the front seat.

"What?" Minho asked.

"Your hand may not be broken, but I can break it for you if you talk to our baby like that again."


	11. Day Four

Jisung opened the door and took in the sight of the person he'd been longing to see for over a year. "Felix," he gasped.

He threw his arms around the boy who was surprised by his sudden action.

Felix awkwardly hugged him back. "Jisung," he said smiling and pulling away. "Let's talk?"

Jisung nodded eagerly and led him inside. "You look nice," he observed Felix's new carrot coloured hair.

Felix smiled politely. "Thank you."

He looked around the apartment. It was cleaner than he expected. Nothing had really changed. The same furniture, the same paintings hung on the walls.

"Everything is just the same," Jisung smiled, noticing Felix's gaze. "Have you moved in to your old apartment?"

Felix nodded. "I did. Let's sit down," he gestured to the couch.

"I can't believe you're finally back," Jisung smiled, sitting next to Felix.

Felix couldn't look into Jisung's eyes so he moved his gaze around the room, noticing the pill bottles on the table in front of them. "Jisung, why are there so many..." he furrowed his brows.

Jisung looked down at his hands. "The... the doctor. He increased the dosage. He said I needed more."

Felix closed his eyes, feeling overwhelmed with guilt. "Jisung, I'm so sorry," he whispered. "I just left you like that and went to Australia..."

Jisung shook his head and took Felix's tiny hands into his own. He missed this. "Felix, it doesn't matter now. You're back. That's all I need."

Felix's eyes widened and he gently pried his hands from Jisung's. "Jisung... you know... in Australia... I met, um..." Felix sighed, not sure how to say it. "Jisung you must have seen the pictures on Instagram. I _know_ you've seen them."

"I did," Jisung felt a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach.

Felix sighed. "Jisung –"

"I know," Jisung smiled, cutting him off. "I know you didn't leave just because you missed your family. I know taking care of me must have been too much for you. And I don't blame you for needing to be with someone else for a while. Those things happen, Felix."

"Thank you for understanding," Felix breathed, relieved.

Jisung nodded. "Like I said, you're here now, and that's what matters. You don't need to worry about whatever you did back in Australia. We can forget that ever happened."

Felix gave him a confused look. _What?_ "Jisung, I don't think you underst –"

But at that moment, Jisung decided to take off his sweater. Seeing Jisung in just a t-shirt and jeans made Felix realize just how much weight the boy had lost.

"What were you saying, Felix?" Jisung asked.

"Have you been eating, Jisung?" Felix asked, already knowing the answer.

Jisung gulped. "It was... really hard without you, Felix." Jisung scolded himself as he felt tears pool in his eyes. _Don't cry_. "When you left I just..."

Felix felt his own eyes fill with tears as he watched Jisung break down in front of him. "Jisung, I'm so sorry," Felix apologised as he held Jisung in his arms.

"D-don't l-leave m-me like th-that ag-gain," Jisung said through his tears.

Felix held him close. "I won't," he lied.

 

"What do you mean you didn't tell him, Felix?" Changbin ran his hands through his hair exasperated.

"Baby, try to understand," Felix sat down next to Changbin. "I need more time."

"Felix, what's so hard about it?" Changbin asked. "You broke up with him before you went to Australia. Didn't you?"

"Yes," Felix nodded, "I did. But I don't think he really understood."

"But he must have seen our pictures, right?" Changbin asked, trying to understand.

"He _did_ , Changbin," Felix said, frustrated. "But he thinks I was just... I don't know. Fooling around?"

Changbin scoffed. "So he knows you were with someone else and he _still_ wants you back? Isn't that a little desperate?"

"Changbin!" Felix scolded. "He's really fragile. You don't know how many antidepressants he's on. You should have seen all those bottles. And he hasn't been taking care of himself. He lost so much of weight. I can't just – I can't just hurt him again."

"And what about me, Lix? Are you just gonna hurt me?" Changbin asked.

"Baby," Felix held Changbin's hand. "Trust me when I say I'm yours. All yours. And I will tell him that... soon."

"Felix," the dark haired male pulled him onto his lap. "I love you."

"And I love you, Binnie," Felix smiled, curling up on Changbin's lap and resting his head on his chest. "Thank you for letting me do this."

Changbin sighed. "Just remember that we're getting married next month."


	12. Day Five

Felix made his way to the bookstore. He practiced what he was going to say. It had taken a lot of convincing for Changbin to agree to his plan. One step at a time, he'd told Changbin.

"Good morning!" Jisung greeted him from the counter.

"Good morning," Felix smiled. "I wanted to talk to you about something."

"Of course, Felix," Jisung smiled, taking Felix's hand and leading him to the little reading area in the store.

"I want to start over," Felix smiled at him when they were seated.

"Start over?" Jisung tensed.

Felix put his arm around Jisung. "I think it's a good idea," he hoped he could convince Jisung. "I mean it's hard to just pick up where we left off a year ago," Felix laughed nervously.

"I guess..." Jisung's voice was soft. He'd hoped he and Felix would just be able to go on like they did before. But now Felix was saying...

"Let's get to know each other again, Jisung."

Jisung sighed but didn't respond.

"I just think that a lot has happened in a year and we've both changed a lot," Felix explained. "So let's be friends first and then see where we go from there?"

Jisung visibly relaxed. So he's not saying he doesn't want a relationship with me. Jisung felt better about it now. He nodded. "We can do that," he smiled at Felix.

"Good," Felix smiled, relieved. That went well, I think. In a few days Jisung will see that they're better off just being friends. "Well, I'll see you later then," Felix stood up.

Jisung frowned. "Where are you going? Stay for a little bit."

"Ah," Felix scratched the back of his neck. "I have to... catch up with some friends."

"Oh," Jisung smiled sadly. "Of course, you must have a lot to catch up on." But what about me? He wanted to ask.

"But I'll text you, okay?" Felix reassured him. "And we can hang out soon."

And the thought of that made Jisung happy. "I can't wait," he smiled.

 

"What's up, baby?"

Jisung looked up from the romance novel he was reading. He rolled his eyes. "What's up, psychopath?"

"That's no way to greet your boyfriend," Minho blew him a kiss. Jisung cringed but his eyes widened when he saw the bandages around Minho's arm.

"Minho, your arm. What happened?" he asked.

"Where are brat one and brat two?" Minho asked, looking around the store.

"What? Oh, Jeongin has classes and Seungmin took the day off again. Now what happened?" he pointed to Minho's arm.

Minho smiled. "You worried about me, honey?" he leaned over the counter, biting his lower lip.

Jisung wasn't going to deny how attractive that was. But he turned his attention to the bandages. "What happened?"

Minho sighed. "It's an intense story."

"Umm okay, nevermind then," Jisung looked back down at his book.

"But I'll tell you anyway," Minho said quickly.

"Thought so," Jisung looked up at him.

"Basically," Minho hopped onto the counter, "I was chasing after this dangerous serial killer and I suffered this terrible injury."

Jisung stared. "Oh okay," he shifted his gaze to his book.

"I tripped on a rug and now I have a mild sprain," Minho clarified.

Jisung laughed. "That makes more sense."

Minho rolled his eyes. "I was just trying to make your day more interesting."

"It was already interesting," Jisung sighed, thinking about Felix.

"In a bad way?" Minho asked, noting Jisung's cute pout.

Jisung nodded.

"Something to do with... that Felix?" Minho guessed.

Jisung nodded.

Minho decided to just go for it and ask. "Is he your boyfriend?"

Jisung shook his head.

"Do you want him to be your boyfriend?"

Jisung nodded. Minho had a sinking feeling which he quickly pushed aside. What's wrong with you, Minho?

"Can you speak? I miss your voice already," Minho pouted.

Jisung raised an eyebrow. "I was silent for like... a minute."

"Can't I miss your voice for a minute?" Minho scoffed.

"Whatever," Jisung sighed, resting his head on the counter.

"Does he want to be your boyfriend?" Minho went on with his interrogation, stroking Jisung's hair. Minho silently laughed at how absent minded Jisung was to not even notice.

"I hope he wants to," Jisung confessed. "But..."

"But?"

"He said he wants to be friends first," Jisung explained.

"So use me," Minho suggested.

Jisung jumped. "Hey, why are you touching my hair? Stop that!" he swatted Minho's hand away. "Now what were you saying?"

Minho laughed. "I was saying... use me."

"How?" Jisung frowned.

"Would you get jealous if you saw him with someone who was interested in him?" Minho asked.

"Yes," Jisung admitted.

"So he'll probably feel the same seeing you with me," Minho shrugged. "I'm sure it'll make him want to skip the 'lets be friends phase'."

Jisung thought about it. In the past, Felix had been very possessive, not even liking Jisung to hang out with friends in school. "You may be right..."

"Lee Minho is always right," Minho smiled.

"But what will you get out of this?' Jisung narrowed his eyes.

"I..." Minho thought about it. What am I getting out of this? "It doesn't matter," he shrugged.

"Hmm," Jisung hummed. "Okay then."

"Okay," Minho smiled. "Let's go out tonight?"

Jisung frowned. He didn't really like going out.

"And you can bring the Felix guy," Minho added and like he expected, Jisung nodded eagerly.

 

"He just wants to hang out at the bar and introduce me to his friend," Felix explained to Changbin who looked less than happy with the idea.

"Felix, I thought we agreed that you were going to slowly distance yourself from him?" Changbin raised his eyebrows.

"Yeah, Binnie, but I did say one step at time," Felix whined.

"Okay, but I don't like this," Changbin bit his lip. "Because – one – you get drunk too easily, two – you do stupid things when you're drunk, and three – I don't know if this friend he's introducing you to is safe."

Felix rolled his eyes. "Babe, Jisung only hangs out with decent people. Don't worry about that."

Changbin sighed. "Then at least don't drink."

Felix scowled. "What kind of person goes to a bar and doesn't drink?"

"Okay, one drink," Changbin pouted.

"Two?" Felix asked, fluttering his eyelashes.

"Fine," Changbin gave in, "but no more than two."

"Binnie?" Felix leaned in close.

"Hmm?"

"You're so whipped for me," Felix giggled.

Changbin laughed. "You think I don't know that, Lix?"


	13. Day Five

Jisung stepped out of his apartment to find Minho leaning against the wall. The raven haired boy gaped at him. "Whoa, baby, is that even legal?" He eyed Jisung's outfit. Jisung was dressed in black ripped skinny jeans, a red shirt and a leather jacket. "You look... wow."

Jisung hid his blush by turning around and locking the apartment door. "Thanks," he murmured shyly. "You look good too," he said, his voice almost a whisper. Good was actually an understatement. Minho wore blue jeans and a low cut white shirt – simple yet he somehow looked like he stepped out of a Vogue magazine.

"Thank you, baby," Minho purred happily.

"Quit calling me that tonight," Jisung warned as they walked down to the bar.

Felix was already nervously waiting at one of the tables. He tapped his fingers on the wooden surface, sitting idly until he saw two figures approaching. He was happy to see that Jisung had dressed up – maybe the old, happier Jisung was starting to make an appearance. But Felix couldn't help staring in awe at the figure next to him. _When did Jisung get such hot friends?_ He usually hung out with people from book clubs – people who didn't talk much and wore old-fashioned clothes – not people who looked like they stepped off a runway.

"Hey Lixie," Jisung greeted with smile before sitting down with his friend. "This is... Lee Minho." Felix couldn't help but notice the colour flood Jisung's cheeks when he said the name.

Minho smiled politely at Felix. "So you're Felix." _The guy my boyfriend wants to date_.

"Yeah," Felix smiled. "Nice to meet you."

"Should we drink something?" Jisung asked.

"Sure," Felix said. "I'm not drinking too much though." He'd have to keep his promise to his Binnie.

"Hey," Minho leaned towards Jisung and whispered, "You sure it's a good idea to get drunk with me, baby?"

Jisung rolled his eyes and whispered back, "Who said anything about getting drunk?"

Minho chuckled. "But it's my objective tonight."

Jisung raised his eyebrows. "You wanna get drunk?"

Minho shook his head. "No, baby, I wanna get _you_ drunk."

"Not gonna happen," Jisung laughed and pushed Minho away.

Felix awkwardly watched Jisung and Minho have a whispered conversation. "Um, I'm gonna get us some drinks," he announced standing up.

Jisung and Minho nodded. "He's really pretty," Minho said, when Felix was out of earshot.

Jisung nodded in agreement. "But I'm sure he'd say the same about you," he shrugged.

Minho looked at Jisung in surprise. "Did you have a few drinks already?"

Jisung frowned. "Of course not."

Minho smirked. "Well, you just kind of called me pretty so..."

Jisung reddened. "I didn't mean to," he said, flustered.

Minho pouted. "So I'm not pretty."

"No, no, you are," Jisung's eyes widened.

"I am?" Minho smirked.

"Ahh," Jisung covered his face with his hands. "Stop."

Minho laughed and pried Jisung's hands away from his face. "Am I not pretty, Jisung?" he brought his face close to Jisung's, keeping the younger male’s hands in his own.

Jisung felt his cheeks heat up. He leaned away from Minho. "Okay, okay, you are pretty," he admitted. "Now, stop."

Felix's jaw dropped as he watched Jisung and Minho from afar. He'd never seen Jisung interact with anyone like that – besides him, of course. Jisung had never been that comfortable with anyone else. He thanked the barman for the drinks and took them to the table.

Upon seeing Felix, Jisung hurriedly pulled his hands away from Minho, part of him hoping that Felix had seen and had felt jealous, and another part of him feeling guilty as though he'd been cheating on Felix.

"So how'd you both meet?' Felix asked curiously, sipping on his drink.

"Oh," Jisung exchanged a look with Minho. "Umm..."

"Actually," Minho smirked at Jisung before turning to Felix, "I met Jisung at the cafe opposite the bookstore. Jisung won this competition and I was the one who gave him the prize."

Jisung choked on his drink and Minho patted his back, amused.

"So what was the prize?" Felix asked.

Jisung gave Minho a warning look which only made Minho more amused. "Thirty days of happiness."

Jisung choked again and Minho patted his back again. "Careful there, honey."

Jisung looked as though he was going to pass out. Felix looked confused. "What does that mean?" Felix asked. "Thirty days of happiness?"

"Free food," Jisung spoke up quickly. "Free food at the cafe for 30 days."

"Oh cool!" Felix smiled. "Can you get free chicken?"

"Uhh," Jisung laughed awkwardly. "Sure." Minho took a sip of his drink to stop himself from laughing.

Jisung shifted closer to Minho and whispered, "If he asks for free chicken, you're the one who's going to be buying it, psycho."

"Anything for you, baby," Minho winked.

Jisung shook his head and was surprised to find Felix staring at them. "You both seem... close," Felix commented.

"We are," Minho smiled, placing a hand on Jisung's head and running his fingers through the younger's hair. Jisung looked at him in surprise, and found Minho's dark eyes already staring at him. The moment was broken by the sound of BTS's Fire coming from Minho's pocket. Minho frowned and retrieved his phone. He was just going to turn it off when he saw the caller ID. _Why is he calling? He never calls._

"What's up?" Minho answered the call.

He heard a muffled voice on the other end of the line. "C-can y-you c-come get m-me?"

"Seungmin," Minho furrowed his brows. "What's wrong? Where are you?"

"F-fifth st-street," Seungmin murmured.

"I'm coming," Minho hung up. He turned to Jisung. "I'm sorry, I have to go."

"That was Seungmin?" Jisung asked worried. "Is he alright?"

"I don't think so," Minho stood up. "He wants me to fetch him from Fifth Street. He sounded like he was crying."

Jisung gasped. "Wait, I'm coming with you."

"What?" Minho was surprised. "You don't need to do that."

"I want to," Jisung frowned. "I care about that boy. If something is wrong, maybe I can help."

"Fine," Minho sighed. "Let's go."

Jisung looked apologetically at Felix. "Lixie..."

Felix waved him away. "Don't worry, Ji," Felix reassured him. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"It was nice meeting you," Minho told Felix before pulling Jisung away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading <3


	14. Day Five

Minho and Jisung walked along Fifth Street, scanning their surroundings for Seungmin. The street was filled with teenagers and young college students, drunk or looking to get drunk. “I think I see him!” Jisung pointed to a figure crouched beneath a lamppost outside one of the clubs on Fifth Street. They finally reached Seungmin who was furiously wiping away the tears that kept falling down his cheeks. 

“Seungmin,” Minho crouched down beside him and placed a hand on his shoulder. To his surprise, the boy leaned into him, sobbing. 

“Hey, Seungmin,” Jisung crouched down on his other side, putting arm around him. “What happened?” 

“H-he... s-someone e-else... I s-saw...” 

Minho and Jisung struggled to understand what Seungmin was saying. 

“Seungmin,” Jisung helped him to stand up. “Why don't we go to my bookstore? It's just around the corner. We can talk more there.” He caught Minho's eye and Minho nodded. They gently led Seungmin down the street. 

“Here we go,” Jisung unlocked the store and Minho led Jisung to the couch at the back. Jisung and Minho sat on either side of him. Jisung handed Seungmin a box of tissues. Minho looked at him with a raised eyebrow. “Customers get sentimental after reading the romance novels,” an embarrassed Jisung explained, “so tissues are necessary.” 

“Is it the customers or you who get sentimental?” Minho rolled his eyes at Jisung who flushed red. He turned his attention to Seungmin. The boy's brown hair looked messy and unkempt, his shirt was untucked and he was still dabbing at his eyes. Minho had never seen Seungmin like this. 

“Tell us what happened,” Minho said, his arm around Seungmin. 

“I... I'm seeing someone,” Seungmin said, making Minho's jaw drop. 

“ _You_? You have a boyfriend?” Minho asked, shocked. 

Seungmin shook his head. “No.” 

Minho and Jisung looked at each other confused. “What do you mean?” Minho asked. 

“Well...” Seungmin sniffled and looked at Minho. “He's like you.” 

“What?” Minho frowned. “He’s hot?”

“He's like you,” Seungmin repeated. “H-he doesn't want a relationship.” 

Jisung shot Minho an exasperated look. “But Seungmin,” Jisung said, “you said you're seeing him. Does that mean...?” 

Seungmin nodded. “Yeah. It's just... physical… You know…” 

Minho cringed. As much as they annoyed each other, Seungmin was a good kid. He deserved more than that. 

“What happened tonight?” Jisung asked. 

“We were at that club,” Seungmin explained. Minho nodded. He knew that club. Rough crowd. “I was with him and I s-saw...” Seungmin burst into tears again and Minho held him close. 

“You saw him doing something with someone else,” Minho guessed. 

Seungmin nodded as he used a wad of tissues to dab at his eyes again. “It's not l-like I d-didn't know he was seeing other people,” Seungmin muttered. “It was just... my first time seeing him with someone else.” 

Minho and Jisung nodded, understanding. Minho cleared his throat. “Seungmin, it's probably not my place to say this but... you deserve a lot better than that.” 

“I don't know,” Seungmin mumbled, his gaze on the floor. 

“Do you have feelings for this guy?” Jisung asked. 

“I'm not supposed to,” Seungmin said, softly. 

“But do you?” Jisung probed. 

Seungmin sighed and nodded. 

“Did you tell him that?” Minho asked. 

Seungmin let out a sarcastic laugh. “Minho, tell me honestly, what would you do if someone you casually sleep with suddenly tells you they're in love with you?” 

Minho understood. “I'd run for the hills,” he admitted. 

“That's why I can't tell him,” Seungmin explained. 

“Seungmin, we can't help you out of this one,” Jisung sighed. “But I guess... if you need to talk, I'm here. And I think Minho is too.” 

Minho nodded. “I am.” 

Seungmin looked at Minho fearfully. “Please don't tell Woojin, Channie, and Jeongin. They'll be angry.” 

Minho sighed. “Seungmin, they care about you. The only thing they'll be angry about is that you're hurting.” 

“Please,” Seungmin pleaded. “Don't tell.” 

“Okay,” Minho reluctantly agreed. 

“And thank you for this,” Seungmin smiled shyly. “Both of you. Thank you.” 

Minho and Jisung looked at each other and smiled. “Any time,” Jisung smiled at Seungmin. 

Minho and Jisung both walked Seungmin back to Woojin and Chan's apartment. He hugged them goodbye and Minho began to walk Jisung back to his apartment. 

“So...” Jisung said, as they walked silently side by side. “Is that how you are?” 

“What are you talking about?” Minho asked, his mind still on Seungmin. 

“I mean... you know... running for the hills if someone confesses to you...” Jisung was glad it was too dark to see the redness he knew painted his cheeks. 

“Ah,” Minho laughed. “Planning on confessing to me, baby? Took you long enough.” 

Jisung hit his shoulder. “I'm just curious.” 

“Yeah,” Minho nodded. “It doesn't get to that point a lot though.” 

“Why?” Jisung asked. 

“Because,” Minho shrugged, “I try not to sleep with the same person more than once.” 

“Try?” Jisung laughed. 

“If I'm being really honest,” Minho looked up at the sky, “there was only one person I slept with more than once. It was a while ago and to be honest, it shouldn't have happened. He'd just finished high school," Minho sighed. "Too young."

“When you say sleeping..." Jisung blushed. "Sleeping... as in... um...” he looked away to hide his embarrassment.

Minho laughed. “Sex. Fucking. Whatever you wanna call it, baby.” 

Jisung could feel his entire face heating up from Minho's vulgar language. “Oh,” he managed to say, feeling incredibly childish.

Minho waited for Jisung to step inside his apartment before he said goodbye. “See you tomorrow.” He winked before turning around to leave. 

Jisung stood at his door, biting his lip. “Minho,” he called out. 

Minho turned around. “Is something wrong?” 

“Um,” Jisung shook his head. “No – I just – um... Do you wanna come in?”


	15. Day Five

They sat on the couch and laughed at the sitcom they'd put on. Jisung studied Minho – the way his eyes widened every time something interesting happened, the way he tapped his fingers to the beat of the TV adverts, the way he occasionally licked his lower lip. “Jisung?” 

Jisung snapped out of his daze. “Huh?” 

Minho chuckled and scooted closer to Jisung. He leaned towards the embarrassed boy. “Like what you see, honey?” 

Jisung's eyes widened. “I – I was – I was just...” 

“Yes?” Minho asked, his tongue swiping his lower lip again. 

“I...” Jisung was lost for words. 

Minho cupped Jisung's face, his thumbs stroking the younger's warm cheeks. “What is it, baby?” 

Jisung opened his mouth to speak but no words came out. Minho traced Jisung's lips with his thumb, surprised at how soft they were. He wondered how his own lips would feel pressed against them. He leaned closer, their lips now only a centimetre apart.  

“The d-door,” Jisung stammered. 

“What about it?” Minho asked, his eyes still on Jisung's lips. 

“Someone's knocking,” Jisung stood up quickly, and Minho sighed in disappointment. He had a good mind to kick whoever it was that decided to ruin their moment. 

“Felix!” he heard Jisung exclaim. 

_Oh great_. Minho groaned in frustration. _Of all people..._

Jisung was surprised to see Felix standing outside his apartment. “Felix! Come in,” he said with a smile. 

“I just wanted to check on you,” Felix smiled and walked in. “That seemed like a stressful situation back there and I know you don't handle them too well so...” 

Jisung thought about it. “Actually...” he smiled. “I don't know why, but I'm... I'm okay.” Jisung realized that he hadn't even needed his anti-depressants or anxiety medication that evening. He mentally congratulated himself. 

“Oh,” Felix was surprised. He hadn't expected that. He also hadn't expected to see Minho on Jisung's couch. 

“Hey,” Minho greeted him with a small smile. 

Felix tried to return the smile. “I didn't realize you had company, Ji. I should go.” 

Jisung looked at Felix disappointed. “But Lixie...” 

“Don't worry about it.” Minho stood up. “I was just leaving.” He hated seeing that disappointed look in Jisung's eyes so he'd just leave and let Jisung enjoy his time with Felix. “I'll see myself out,” he patted Jisung's shoulder as he walked passed. 

_Tell me to stay,_ he silently pleaded. But Jisung was already sitting down with Felix. 

 

Felix was glad that he could just sit down and enjoy watching a TV series with Jisung, even if it meant they were avoiding talking through their issues. After a few episodes, he finally arrived at his apartment to an annoyed Changbin. Felix jumped into Changbin's arms as soon as he opened the door. 

Changbin carried him in and set him down on the couch. “What took you so long?” he pouted. 

“Aw baby Binnie,” Felix giggled. “I'm sorry. We were watching series. And it was almost like we were back in high school again, you know? Like best friends again.” 

Changbin sighed. “So was he having a breakdown like you said he would be when you left our movie halfway to go and see him?” 

Felix giggled nervously. “Well, you see...” 

“Yes?” Changbin frowned. 

“He was kind of fine...” Felix admitted. “And he was with that guy.” 

“The guy he ditched you for at the bar?” Changbin asked, his mood lifting. 

Felix smacked his shoulder. “He didn't ditch me. He had... an emergency, with that guy.” 

Changbin pulled Felix close and wrapped his arms around him. “You sound like you don't like him.”

“Who? That Minho guy?” Felix frowned. “I just... I dunno. He's not someone who'd usually hang out with Jisung. I don't know why but I don't trust him.” 

“Baby, maybe you need to let Jisung make his own decisions when it comes to friends,” Changbin told Felix, gently. “I know you care about him, but maybe this friend is helping him get better.” 

Felix smiled sadly. “But I wanted to be the one to help him get better. I owe him so much, Binnie."


	16. A Trip Down Memory Lane

**8 YEARS AGO**

“Here, t-take my h-hand,” the brown haired boy held out his hand nervously. Felix smiled and took the boy's hand. The boy gently pulled Felix to his feet. 

“Thank you,” Felix smiled gratefully. “You're my new classmate, Jisung, right?” 

The boy nodded. He took out a bottle of pills from his backpack and swallowed two pills quickly. 

“Are you sick?” Felix asked, wide-eyed. 

Jisung shook his head. “I t-take them s-so I st-stop s-stuttering,” he explained. “I s-stutter when I'm a-anxious.” 

“Oh, pills for anxiety,” Felix understood. 

“S-so why w-were they pushing y-you around?” Jisung asked, hoping the pills would kick in quickly. 

“Oh...” Felix looked away, embarrassed. “They've been doing that to me since kindergarten. I kinda like keeping to myself, you know? I like hanging out in the library. So they think I'm weird.” 

Jisung smiled widely, his cheeks puffing. “I l-like the library too. It's p-peaceful. Maybe we can hang out there t-together.” 

Felix looked at him in surprise. “Really? You wanna hang out with me?” 

Jisung smiled. “Of course.” 

**5 YEARS AGO**

“It's no use, Jisung,” Felix cried and Jisung hugged him. 

“Lixie, it's not the end of the world,” Jisung tried to reassure him. “He's just a silly boy who doesn't realize what a wonderful person he rejected.” 

“That's not even the problem,” Felix sniffled. “I don't really care that he rejected me.” 

“Then what's the problem?” Jisung asked. 

Felix sighed. “No one likes me. No one ever asks me out. Every time I tell someone I have a crush on them they reject me.” 

“But Lixie...” Jisung looked into his eyes. “I like you.” 

**3 YEARS AGO**

Felix showed Jisung the empty store. “It would have been perfect, Ji. If I just had the money, I know I could turn this place into the perfect bookstore.” 

Jisung hated the regret in Felix's voice. “One day, Lixie.” 

“It's what I always dreamed of,” Felix confessed. “Can you imagine it? Me having my very own bookstore?” 

Jisung smiled. “I can. What would you call it?” 

Felix smiled shyly. “I thought of that too. What do you think of JiLix?” 

“That would have been perfect,” Jisung grinned. 

“But I guess it's just a silly dream,” Felix shrugged. “I'll never be able to afford it.” 

“Come on,” Jisung tugged on his boyfriend's hand. “I'll walk you home.” 

**2 YEARS AGO**

“Jisung... Oh my god.” Felix stared at the name engraved on the sign above the store – JiLix. “How... how did you...” he was lost for words. Even more so when Jisung led him inside the store and he saw shelves stocked with books. “Oh my god, Jisung.” Felix covered his mouth. 

Jisung only saw Felix's smile and that was all he ever needed to see. 

“How...?” Felix asked again, running his hands over the rows of books. 

Jisung looked down at his feet. “I had quite a bit saved up for college. But I didn't really wanna go anyway so...” 

**ONE YEAR AGO**

“Jisung, I'm sorry,” Felix said, sitting down next him. “I just... I want to be with my family.” 

“Is that the only reason?” Jisung asked, tears running down his cheeks. 

_ No. I'm tired. I'm tired of looking after you. I'm tired of having to hold your hand every time we go into a store. I'm tired making all your calls because you're too afraid to talk on the phone. I'm tired of dragging you out of bed everyday because you don't feel like getting up. I'm tired of forcing food into your mouth because you don't want to do it yourself. I'm tired of hearing you cry every night knowing there's nothing I can do to make it better. I'm tired and I need to get away.  _

“Yeah,” Felix lied. “I just miss my family. There's no other reason.” 

“W-when will y-you c-come b-back?” Jisung asked, now sobbing. 

“I'm not coming back, Jisung.”


	17. Day Six

Minho made his way up the stairs to the fifth floor where Chan and Woojin's apartment was located. He needed breakfast. To his surprise, two males were having a heated makeout session next to the staircase. One had the other pushed up against the wall. He chuckled and was about to tell them to get a room when he recognised the boy who had his back against the wall.

"Seungmin."

Seungmin gasped and quickly pushed the other male off him. The other boy quickly pulled his hood over his head and made his way down the stairs before Minho could even get a look at his face. Minho caught sight of a bracelet around the boy's wrist, before he disappeared from sight. It looked familiar but Minho couldn't remember where he'd seen it.

"Don't you have to go to work?" Minho raised his eyebrows and Seungmin nodded quickly making his way downstairs.

He was about to carry on to the apartment when it hit him where he'd seen the bracelet before. _Oh fuck no_. Minho turned around. He needed to find Hwang Hyunjin.

 

"He's a good kid!" Minho pushed Hyunjin against the wall outside the bar he'd been sitting in. "What do you want with him?"

"I was a good kid too, Minho!" Hyunjin struggled to free his arms. " _You_ did this to me!"

Minho let go of Hyunjin's wrists. "Hyunjin, I made it clear that I didn't want a relationship. It was your choice to agree to that."

Hyunjin smirked. "And it's Seungmin's choice too. So leave us alone."

"Hyunjin, I know I broke your heart and I'm sorry," Minho looked at him pleadingly. "But you don't have to be this person because of that. You don't have to do this to other people – to Seungmin."

Hyunjin sighed. "I know. I don't have feelings for you anymore, Minho. But what Seungmin and I have..." he shrugged, "I like it – just the way it is. So stop interfering."

"He deserves more than that," Minho tried to convince him.

"He's not an idiot," Hyunjin rolled his eyes. "He knows I can't give him more than what I give him right now."

"And how long do you plan on keeping him around, huh?" Minho asked, his arms folded. "A month? Two months? Three?"

Hyunjin laughed. "However long he wants to stay. Let's see how long he lasts," he shrugged.

"Please," Minho begged. "Let him go. End things with him."

"You're not listening!" Hyunjin glared at Minho. "I like what I have with him! I enjoy it! I don't have a reason to let him go!"

"If you care at least a little bit for Seungmin," Minho said as he turned around to leave, "you'll let him go."

 

Minho sat on the couch alongside Chan, Jeongin and Seungmin. "I have an important announcement," Woojin smiled, standing in front of them.

"Are you and Channie getting married?" Jeongin clapped his hands excitedly. Chan, sitting next to Jeongin began blushing.

"Um no, Jeonginnie," Woojin giggled, "not yet."

"Oh," Jeongin nodded sadly.

"Tomorrow is mine and Chan's two year anniversary," Woojin announced.

"Do I have to get you a gift?" Minho asked, frowning.

Woojin sighed and ignored Minho. "Chan and I want to have a celebratory dinner tomorrow evening, and we want you all to be there," he smiled. "We're family after all."

"Ooh food!" Minho grinned. "Are you gonna make that fried chicken again?" he asked hopefully.

Woojin cleared his throat. "Minho, you can only attend this dinner on one condition."

"What?" Minho asked, suspiciously.

Chan stood up next to Woojin. He smirked. "You have to bring Jisung with you."

Minho groaned.


	18. Day Seven

"An anniversary dinner?" Jisung asked. "That's sweet but..."

"But?" Minho frowned.

"I don't know them very well, so it'll be too awkward," Jisung explained.

"You know Seungmin and Jeongin," Minho shrugged.

"Yeah," Jisung rolled his eyes, "but I don't know the people whose anniversary it actually is. I mean I greeted them once when they stopped by to see the boys, but that's it."

"Aw, Jisung, come on," Minho whined. "There'll be so much food."

"Nope," Jisung shook his head. "Sorry, psycho."

Minho rested his head on the counter, groaning.

Jisung found it amusing. "You really want the food that badly, huh?"

Minho nodded sadly, making Jisung laugh.

He sighed. "Okay," Jisung agreed, "but we won't stay long."

Minho jumped up excitedly. "Ah Jisung, I'm so happy, I could kiss you right now!"

There was a moment of tension filled silence as both of them processed what Minho just said. Jisung noticed the dangerous glint in Minho's eyes and the small smile that played on his lips as he took slow, deliberate steps towards Jisung.

"D-don't you d-dare," Jisung stammered as Minho got closer.

Minho had Jisung pinned to the wall in a flash. He held Jisung's wrists above his head. Jisung's eyes were wide as Minho moved his face closer. He could feel Minho's breath on his lips now. He squeezed his eyes shut. "M-Minho."

"Breathe, baby," Minho whispered. "Just breathe."

To Jisung's surprise, his body obeyed Minho and his breaths became less laboured. "There we go, baby," Minho whispered again.

Jisung prepared himself for what was going to happen. After a few seconds he opened his eyes in surprise. Minho was leaning back against the counter, his head tilted observing Jisung, a smirk on his face. Jisung blinked in confusion. He was so sure Minho was going to...

"I can't kiss you, honey," Minho said, as though reading Jisung's mind. "You see, your Felix is right there, looking at us through that window, and you don't want him to think you actually have feelings for me, right?"

Jisung's eyes quickly darted to the display window where sure enough, Felix could be seen talking on his phone and looking at Jisung and Minho. "Right."

Felix nodded politely at Minho who passed him on his way out of the bookstore. He made his way to Jisung who seemed a bit flustered. Strands of his blonde hair was stuck to his forehead and he kept fidgeting with the buttons on his jacket. "You alright, Ji?"

Jisung looked up with a smile. "Yeah, of course. Just a busy morning."

"I saw that guy... Minho... here with you just now," Felix said, trying to keep the worry out of his voice.

"Oh yeah," Jisung smiled. "He hangs out here a lot. Come to think of it, he's been here everyday for the past week."

"Everyday?" Felix asked, raising an eyebrow. "What does he do anyway? Does he work?"

"Oh, he's a student in his final year of college," Jisung explained. "But he doesn't really attend classes..."

"He's too immature for you," Felix scoffed.

"Well you shouldn't be so quick to judge," Jisung snapped, taking Felix by surprise. He didn't know why but he felt offended by Felix's comment.

"Ji... I..." Felix didn't know what to say.

Jisung sighed. "I'm sorry for snapping, Lixie. He's just... a nice guy."

Felix nodded. "If you say so."

He agreed to watch over the store while Jisung went across to the cafe to get them some coffee.

"Hello!" Felix looked up to find a raven haired boy with braces, smiling at him.

"Oh hi," Felix smiled. "You must be one of the boys that work here."

Jeongin nodded. "Mr Han isn't here?"

"Oh, he stepped out a few minutes ago," Felix said. "He'll be back soon though."

"Is he with Minho hyung?" Jeongin asked, laughing. "They're always together these days."

"You know Minho?" Felix asked, curiously.

"I do," Jeongin shrugged. "He's friends with my housemates so I see him a lot."

_Perfect_ , Felix thought. _Now I can get some information._

"Do you like Minho?" Felix asked.

"Umm..." Jeongin thought about it. "He's kinda..."

"Yes?' Felix prompted.

"He's kinda rude," Jeongin admitted. "He also eats all our food."

"Is he dating someone?" Felix asked.

Jeongin burst out laughing. "Minho? Dating? Never. Channie hyung always said Minho prefers umm... you know... casual um..." Jeongin blushed.

"Casual sex?" Felix smiled at the boy's embarrassment.

Jeongin nodded, shyly. "Channie hyung also said that Minho hyung has been breaking hearts since high school," Jeongin laughed.

Now Felix was really concerned. _Is that what Jisung calls a 'nice guy'?_


	19. Day Seven

It was almost time for Jisung to go to the anniversary dinner. He checked his reflection in his phone screen, making sure he looked alright. "Hey, Ji," Felix walked into the store. He noticed Jisung's outfit. Dark blue skinny jeans, a black shirt and a black suit jacket. "You look good."

"Thank you," Jisung blushed. "Um, I actually called you because I need a favour. I have to leave a little early. So can you lock up the store in an hour?"

"Sure," Felix nodded. "Are you going somewhere... special?"

Jisung nodded nervously. "Minho's friends are having this anniversary dinner so I'm going with him."

"Really Jisung?" Felix frowned. "Minho again?"

Jisung was taken aback. "Why are you saying it like that?"

"Because you need to be careful of who you hang out with," Felix explained.

Jisung smiled. "Felix, Minho isn't like that. I'm safe with him."

"I highly doubt that," Felix scoffed. "Jisung, I don't think he's healthy for you."

"What?" Jisung looked confused. "Felix, how can you say that? You don't even know him!"

"I don't know him?" Felix pursed his lips. "Jisung, how long do _you_ even know this guy? A year? A few months? How long?"

Jisung stayed quiet.

"Answer me, Jisung," Felix stood with his arms folded.

"A week," Jisung muttered.

Felix laughed in disbelief. "You've got to be kidding me! A week? You know this person for a week and you're just letting him into your life?"

"Well, what else was I supposed to do?" Jisung glared at Felix. "What was I supposed to do when you weren't here Felix? When I begged you to come back, when I begged you to reply to my damn texts, where were you? Tell me!"

Felix felt overwhelmed with guilt again. "Ji... I'm sorry..."

"No!" Jisung yelled at Felix who looked at him in surprise. "You don't get to stand there and criticize me for letting in someone when you were the one who abandoned me!"

"Ji, I –

"I needed you, Felix," Jisung tried to blink back the tears that threatened to spill onto his cheeks. "I needed you and you didn't care."

Jisung walked out of the store, not caring that Felix was calling for him.

 

Jisung didn't have to say anything for Minho to know that he'd had a bad day. The blonde haired boy walked with his gaze fixed on the ground, his hands in his pockets. "Wanna talk about it?"

"About what?" Jisung asked, his voice sounding tired.

"About what's bothering you."

Jisung shook his head. "Doesn't matter."

Jiusng felt his phone vibrate.

**Felix:**

**Ji I'm sorry**

**Please come back so we can talk**

**I'll wait at your apartment okay?**

**I know you keep the spare key here at the shop**

**I'm at your apartment, okay?**

 

Minho stopped walking. "Jisung."

Jisung realized they'd come to stop in the middle of the sidewalk. "Yes?" He looked into Minho's eyes for the first time that day, his irises reflecting the setting sun beyond their horizon.

"You don't have to come with me," Minho said gently. "I can always tell them you were busy."

Jisung was silent. He really didn't feel like going anywhere, but...

"Go home," Minho said, giving him a reassuring smile. "I'll explain it to them."

Jisung's eyes widened. "N-no." To Minho's surprise, he clutched onto the sleeve of Minho's jacket. "P-please. H-he's at my a-apartment and I – I can't see h-him right n-now."

Minho carefully pried Jisung's fingers off his sleeve. He could feel Jisung's body trembling with anxiety. He kept Jisung's hand in his own, linking their fingers. He turned around, leading Jisung down the street. "W-where are we g-going?" Jisung asked.

"To my place."


	20. Day Seven

Minho was nervous as he opened his door. He'd never brought anyone to his place before. Jisung looked around. The apartment smelled unused. The furniture still looked new. Jisung could bet that if he opened the fridge and the cupboards they would be empty. "Do you even live here?" he whispered.

Minho laughed, scratching his head. "Kind of... I eat at Chan's place. I sleep on his couch sometimes too. So I guess I don't really live here much. A waste of my parents' money if you think about it. But I'll need it when Chan and Woojin finally get tired of me."

Felix's words rang in Jisung's mind. _He's too immature for you._ He shook his head, trying to rid his mind of Felix's words. "You can sit on the couch," Minho smiled, helping Jisung take off his jacket. He switched on the TV even though he knew neither of them would be really interested in watching.

Jisung looked down at his hands. "You realize it's only been a week since we met?' he asked Minho.

Minho smiled. He'd been thinking about it too. He remembered Woojin saying that commitment could change his life. But he didn't think it would happen this fast. "It feels like forever," he admitted.

Jisung nodded. "Minho, what's going to happen after the next twenty three days?"

Minho sighed. "I don't know," he said honestly. "You'll probably be dating Felix again. And I..."

"And you?" Jisung looked up at him.

"I'll just... I don't know, Jisung. I'll be doing whatever it is I did before you walked into that cafe." Minho tried to laugh it off, but he knew it wouldn't be that simple.

"You mean one night stands... no commitments?" Jisung asked.

Minho didn't know how to answer because he didn't know what the answer was. If he was honest, he'd have to admit that _the Lee Minho,_ for the first time in his life, didn't know what he wanted. "Want a drink?" Minho asked, ignoring Jisung's question. "I have alcohol... and water. That's about it," he laughed.

"Maybe you just want to complete your objective you didn't get to complete at the bar," Jisung smirked. "Are you planning on getting me drunk, Minho?"

Minho placed a bottle of vodka on the table in front of them. "Maybe I am."

Maybe it was because Minho was so used to drinking away his boredom, that he was still able to walk in a straight line, a bottle of vodka later. Jisung on the other hand, was rolling around the couch, laughing at... Minho actually didn't know what he was laughing at.

Minho downed another glass and smiled at the drunk boy. He looked happy, carefree, a world away from the lonely, anxious, depressed Jisung.

Jisung must have noticed Minho looking at him from the other end of the couch, because he sat up, leaning towards Minho, a playful glint in his eyes.

"Why are you doing that?" Jisung giggled.

Minho raised his eyebrows. "Doing what?"

Jisung giggled again. "Looking at me with those beautiful eyes."

Minho shook his head and laughed. "Was that an attempt at flirting, baby?"

Jisung smirked. "You haven't seen anything yet." To Minho's surprise, he scooted closer, so that his face was just a few inches away. Jisung bit his lip. Minho gulped. _Drunk Jisung was very... seductive._

Jisung tilted his head and smirked. "You look nervous... baby."

Minho felt his cheeks become slightly heated. _Why am I being like this? I should be used to this._

Jisung ran his fingers through Minho's hair, loving how soft it felt. "What are you doing, Jisung?" Minho gently pushed his hand away.

But Jisung couldn't seem to keep his hands away from Minho. He cupped Minho's face with his hands, his eyes on Minho's lips.

"Jisung," Minho said again, placing his hands over Jisung's and placing them back down. "What are you doing?"

Jisung frowned. "Minho, do you think I look..." He struggled to find the word he needed. "Ummm... do I... what was I saying?" he tried to think. "Oh, do I look... um how do I look?"

Minho chuckled. "You look really drunk, actually."

Jisung pouted, not getting the answer he wanted.

"Sexy," Minho said, and Jisung's eyes lit up. Minho's eyes roamed over Jisung's body – from his tight jeans to the loose low cut shirt, Minho couldn't deny it. "You look really hot, Jisung."

"But then..." Jisung looked confused.

"But then?" Minho smiled.

"Why aren't you kissing me?" Jisung pouted.

"Um, Jisung, I..." Minho didn't know what to say. Out of all the things he expected Jisung to say, that wasn't one of them.

Jisung scooted onto Minho's lap, taking Minho by surprise. "Jisung..."

Jisung put his arms around Minho's neck. He slid a hand down to Minho's chest, his fingers fumbling to open the buttons on Minho's shirt. It took Minho a few seconds to realize what was happening. "Whoa, wait, Jisung."

Jisung looked hurt. "Y-you don't wanna..."

Minho shook his head with a wry smile. "Jisung, I want to. I really really really want to, baby."

"Then w-why..." Jisung yawned mid-sentence, his eyelids drooping.

"Let's get you to bed," Minho said, standing up and lifting Jisung into his arms.

Minho tucked a half asleep Jisung into bed, making sure he was warm enough. "Minho," Jisung groaned.

"Yes?" Minho asked, peering down at the cute squirrel-like boy.

"Kiss..." Jisung groaned again.

Minho sighed. "Okay, baby," he smiled. He leaned down, pressing his lips to Jisung's forehead before taking a blanket and heading back to the couch.

Minho lay down on the couch, thinking of all the reasons he should just go back in and kiss Jisung like he really wants to. But for some reason, he stayed put. He didn't know why, but he wanted Jisung to remember every detail of their kiss, and he knew that if he kissed him right now, Jisung wouldn't remember a thing in the morning. Minho sighed. _Since when do I care?_


	21. Day Eight

Jisung woke to the loud sound of metal clanging. "What the –

He opened his eyes to find himself in an unfamiliar space. This wasn't his bed. This wasn't his room. This... definitely wasn't his sweater. _Whose sweater is this?_ It took him a few seconds to remember that he'd come back to Minho's apartment... and then vodka... Jisung began to panic. _Did we do anything last night?_

He frantically got out bed and made his way to the mirror. He began to check under the shirt for any marks on his body. He breathed a sigh of relief when he found none. His eye caught sight of all the photos on the walls. Usually people tend to hide photos of when they were younger but Minho had his childhood photos on full display. Jisung smiled, unsurprised that Minho liked displaying his photos. Even as a child he was good looking. Jisung giggled at the cute smiles and pouts in several of the pictures. Jisung heard more clanging noises from the kitchen and remembered what had woken him.

Minho frowned at the eggs he'd gone out to get. They sat staring at him and he didn't know what to do with them. He quickly typed into google 'how do you fry eggs?' He smiled smugly. He was sure he could get it right on his first try. After all, Lee Minho was good at everything. Once he'd found easy instructions, he set to work. His smile fell when his first attempt at cracking an egg failed and his hands became covered in yolk. He washed his hands and tried again. This time he was able to crack the egg into the pan, but along with the egg, the eggshells also ended up in the pan. He took a deep breath and began his third attempt after washing the pan. He raised his fist in the air when he successfully cracked the egg into the pan.

He heard a giggle from behind him and turned around to find Jisung standing in the doorway, watching him with a soft smile on his face. He took in the sight of messy haired male dressed in nothing but a sweater and boxers. Minho hadn't thought he'd look so sexy in that sweater when he dressed Jisung last night. _Well damn..._

"Stop staring," Jisung looked at his feet, blushing.

Minho snapped out of it and smirked. "And why should I stop?"

Jisung laughed. "Because something is burning in that pan!"

Minho looked at the pan in dismay to see the burnt egg. He groaned, scraping the contents into the bin. Jisung giggled again, immediately lifting Minho's mood.

"Let me do that," Jisung smiled, walking to Minho and taking over.

He began expertly cracking eggs into the pan as Minho watched in awe. He watched as Jisung's eyes focused on the task in front of him, his bottom lip clenched between his teeth. It took all the restraint Minho was capable of to not lift Jisung onto the counter and –

"You're staring again," Jisung laughed, his eyes still on the pan.

"So let me," Minho replied, unable to take his eyes of Jisung.

Jisung removed the pan from the stove and turned to look at Minho with raised eyebrows. "Okay, look all you want then," he stood in front of Minho with his arms folded.

And so Minho looked. He looked at Jisung's messy blonde hair, he looked at his deep brown eyes, he looked at his pink lips, he looked at his cute puffy cheeks, at the way the sweater hung loosely around his body, at the way his feet shifted nervously, at –

"Okay, stop," Jisung covered his face and turned around. "I didn't think you'd actually do it," he muttered. Jisung could feel the heat in his cheeks. He drew in a breath when he felt Minho's arms snake their way around his waist, drawing him close.

"Breathe, baby," he whispered, sending shivers down Jisung's spine. Again, his body obeyed and he began to breathe easily. His body began to feel at ease, his shoulders relaxing, his heartbeat steady. "Turn around, Jisung."

Jisung bit his lip as he turned around, Minho's arms still around him. Hesitantly, he lifted his eyes to meet Minho's. His eyes widened when he saw the intensity with which Minho was looking at him. His hands shook as he placed them on Minho's chest, his fingers pressing against the fabric of his shirt. Jisung's breath hitched when the older leaned forward, his forehead now touching Jisung's. "Breathe," he reminded Jisung, as they gazed at each other, Jisung's eyes a window through which Minho could glimpse his vulnerability.

Jisung almost let out a whimper when Minho pulled away. "We should eat breakfast," he said, turning away and grabbing plates from the cupboard. Jisung looked at him in confusion. _Why won't he kiss me? Do I want him to kiss me?_

"You need to eat more," Minho frowned as Jisung left half of his food untouched.

Jisung pouted from across the table. "I'm not hungry."

Minho sighed. "We didn't eat last night. How can you not be hungry?"

Jisung shrugged. "I guess the new anti-depressants I'm on make me lose my appetite." Jisung's eyes widened when he realized what he'd let slip.

"Anti-depressants?" Minho asked, surprised. "I didn't know you took those."

Jisung covered his face. "Great, now you're gonna think I'm weird."

"Baby, I always thought you were weird," Minho chuckled, "but I like it that way."

Jisung lowered his hands. "S-so you don't think... um... that I – I um..." he didn't know how to ask, or more importantly, he didn't know what to ask.

"Jisung, there's nothing wrong with you," Minho frowned. "If you take anti-depressants it's because you need them. I don't have a problem with that."

"You're the first person to say that," Jisung admitted. "People usually tend to treat me differently when they find out."

Minho shook his head. "Jisung, why would I treat you differently because you're on anti-depressants? I am too."

Jisung blinked. "You... I didn't know - I mean... really?"

Minho nodded. "Really. Since I was a kid."

"Oh," Jisung's eyes widened. "Me too."

Minho smiled. "I guess we have more in common than I thought."


	22. Day Eight

Jisung smiled to himself as he made his way to his apartment. He felt strangely happy. He frowned when he saw that his apartment was unlocked, but then remembered that Felix said he was going to be waiting at his apartment. _Surely Felix hadn't waited the entire night?_

He opened the door and sure enough, Felix was asleep on the couch. Jisung felt a pang of guilt. He sat down beside the sleeping boy and lightly touched his cheek. "Lixie..."

Felix blinked a few times before realizing someone was calling his name. "Who...? Oh, Ji, you're here." He let his eyes adjust to the light before sitting up.

"You were here the entire night?" Jisung asked, guiltily.

Felix nodded. "But where were you, Ji?" he asked, his eyes filled with concern. "I was so worried. You never stay out that late and your phone was off. I thought something happened."

Jisung bit his lip. "Lix, I – I stayed over at Minho's place."

Felix searched Jisung's eyes trying to comprehend what he was saying. "You... you did what, Jisung?"

"You heard me," Jisung muttered, looking away.

"Jisung, how can you be so reckless?" Felix asked, standing up angrily. "You've known the guy for a week! A _week_ , Jisung! He could turn out to be some – some kind of –"

"Psycho?" Jisung offered, not being able to help giggling at the name he'd given to Minho.

"You find that funny?" Felix asked, exasperated. "Come on, Jisung, be serious."

Jisung sighed. "Lix, he's not dangerous, okay? I mean if he was he would have done something by now."

"Is that what it'll take for you to realize that he's bad for you?" Felix questioned him. "You're going to just wait for him to hurt you?"

"Hurt me how?" Jisung rolled his eyes. "It's not like I'm even dating him."

"Do you want to?" Felix asked, hoping the answer would be no.

Jisung didn't think. The words he'd grown accustomed to saying, just slipped out naturally. "You know I just want you, Felix."

Felix gulped. He knew he should just tell Jisung the truth now. But he also knew that if he told Jisung the truth, the boy would just go running to Minho. And Minho was bad for Jisung.

Felix cleared his throat. "I know," he told Jisung. "Let's just um... let's just wait a little bit before we go back to that, okay?"

"How much longer, Felix?" Jisung asked, his eyes hopeful.

"Just... a little while," Felix tried to reassure him with a smile. He looked at the clock on the wall. "I'm gonna go back to my place. I'll see you later, Ji?"

Jisung nodded, not convinced by Felix's words, but too afraid to confront him about it.

"Ji?" Jisung looked up and Felix held his hands out. "A hug before I go?"

Jisung looked at Felix in surprise. "Oh... sure."

Felix approached Jisung, enveloping him in a hug. And Jisung felt something he'd never before felt when hugging Felix. For the first time, Felix's embrace brought Jisung discomfort.

 

"Felix, what are you doing?" Changbin asked, watching Felix throw clothes into his suitcase.

"I can't do it," Felix said, folding his shirts untidily before trying to stuff them in. "I can't do it, Binnie."

"Do what?" Changbin put his arms around Felix. "Felix, baby, stop for a minute and tell me what's going on."

"I don't know how to tell him about us, Binnie," Felix admitted, dropping the shirt he was folding. He leaned back against Changbin's chest. "It's going to break his heart. Again. Haven't I caused enough damage?"

Changbin sighed. "And you think running away from everything will make anything better?" Felix stayed quiet, knowing Changbin was right.

"Felix," Changbin gently turned him around so that he was looking at him. "The day before our wedding you told me you couldn't marry me because you left things with Jisung unresolved. And I came here with you to show you that I understand why you put everything on hold. But now... if we go back to Australia and you still haven't resolved anything... where does that leave us?"

Felix felt tears well up in his eyes. "B-Binnie, I..."

"Felix, will you be able to marry me knowing you left things with Jisung unresolved?" Changbin asked, searching Felix's eyes for an answer.

"No," Felix shook his head. "But I want to, Binnie. I want to marry you."

"Then you need to tell him," Changbin held Felix close.

"I will."


	23. When Hyunjin Met Seungmin

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sooo... this chapter has some kissing. Feel free to skip if it makes you uncomfortable. This chapter isn't relevant to the overall plot

Hyunjin wondered why he even bothered going to college anymore. He usually just skipped classes and sat in the cafeteria. There was always a willing girl or guy to pick up there. Hyunjin was blessed with good looks, so much so that he barely had to look in someone's direction for them to fall hard for him.

Hyunjin believed that there was an art to hooking up with someone. The real trick is how you choose them. Hyunjin wouldn't just mess around with anyone. Oh no, he went for a specific type – commitment phobes – like himself, or lonely girls or guys neglected by their significant others.

Hyunjin was annoyed that the cafeteria was almost empty, save for a few giggling girls that weren't worth the trouble. Hyunjin stifled a yawn when a lone figure walked into the cafeteria. A figure he recognised – _the bookshop boy._

Every morning Hyunjin stopped at this café across from a bookshop. And every morning that guy – _the bookshop guy_ would wait for the store to open. Hyunjin always had a clear view of him from inside the café. He could watch the boy stacking books through the large display window. Hyunjin always found the focused expression on the boy's face very… _fascinating_. 

He watched now as the bookshop boy took a seat at a table in front of him, his nose buried in a book. He always dressed neatly in formal shirts and plain jeans, and his thin, black framed glasses always sat on the tip of his nose. It was unusual for someone who looked so young to dress that way. But Hyunjin found it attractive. 

Hyunjin smirked when the boy kept casting nervous glances his way. Hyunjin thought it would be an effort to find out whether the boy was straight or not. But apparently he wasn’t. Hyunjin could always tell when someone was attracted to him, and the bookshop boy was definitely interested.

To Hyunjin's annoyance, the bookshop boy suddenly stood up, throwing his book into his bag. He began walking in the direction of one of the lecture theatres. Hyunjin made a split second decision and began following behind the boy. _What am I doing?_ Hyunjin wondered. _He's probably one of those serious relationship types_. But still, Hyunjin followed him into the lecture theatre, taking a seat a few rows behind him. 

 

Seungmin felt like leaving the cafeteria as soon as he entered it. Because there, sitting at one of the tables, was _the beautiful boy._ Seungmin hoped he wasn't being obvious as he sat down at a table where he could get a good view of the beautiful boy. For a few months, the boy had been going to the café across the bookshop. Seungmin was always at work early so he always had to wait for Jisung to open the store. Seungmin never failed to notice the beautiful boy sipping on his coffee at the café every morning. If he was one of those brave guys in the dramas he watched he would have the nerve to approach the beautiful boy and ask for his number, or at least his name. 

Seungmin tried to focus on the book in front of him but couldn't help sneaking glances at the boy. _How can such perfection exist?_ Seungmin heard his watch beep and jumped when he saw the time. He quickly hurried to class before he was late, unaware of who was following.

He could feel eyes on him during the entire class but couldn't spot anyone looking his way in the crowded room. He was glad when the class ended and he began packing his things away. He gasped when a shadow loomed over his desk and he looked up into the eyes of the beautiful boy himself. 

Hyunjin didn’t want to waste any time. “I'm Hwang Hyunjin,” he told Seungmin whose eyes widened. “What's your name?”

Seungmin was lost for words. “My… name… um… it's uh…”

Hyunjin licked his lower lip impatiently and pulled out a book from Seungmin's bag, glancing at the label. “Kim Seungmin. Cool.” 

Seungmin had still lost his ability to talk, but Hyunjin didn't mind. “Stand up, Seungmin.”

Seungmin blinked a few times before his body did as the beautiful boy commanded. He stood up hesitantly, his eyes involuntarily moving down Hyunjin's body. _How can every inch of him be so perfect?_

Hyunjin glanced around the class and was satisfied to see that he and Seungmin were alone. Without hesitation, Hyunjin easily put his arms around Seungmin's waist and lifted the surprised boy onto the desk.

Seungmin finally found his voice. “W-what are you doing?” he asked, his heart beating fast.

Hyunjin was momentarily stunned by the silkiness of Seungmin's voice.

“Shh,” Hyunjin tapped Seungmin's lips with his finger. He leaned forward so that Seungmin's heavy breaths could be felt on his lips. He waited for Seungmin to object and smiled when there was no sign of objection from Seungmin. 

He pressed his lips onto Seungmin’s, feeling a rush as they connected. Seungmin placed his arms around Hyunjin’s neck, pulling him closer and wanting more. Hyunjin sucked on Seungmin's lower lip. His teeth grazed Seungmin's lips as he prodded them open with his tongue. Seungmin happily granted him entrance into his mouth, moaning onto Hyunjin's tongue.

They had lost track of time when they finally pulled apart, Seungmin whimpering at the sudden lack of contact. He placed his hands on the desk to support his body which felt strangely weak. He observed Hyunjin who was using his phone screen as a mirror to set his hair. Without a word, Hyunjin turned around, making his way to the door.

“Tomorrow, same time, behind the library,” he called over his shoulder.

Seungmin shook his head. “I – I can't,” he called out, making Hyunjin turn around in surprise. “I have to work tomorrow.”

“Okay,” Hyunjin shrugged, as he turned around again, unbothered. 

Seungmin mentally swore at himself. _Seungmin you idiot, what if you never get the opportunity again?_ Suddenly, the thought of never again having Hyunjin's lips on his own was too much to bear. “I'll be there!” he called out just as Hyunjin reached the door.

Hyunjin smirked. _Of course you will._

Seungmin bit his lip. He really wasn't sure what he was doing. But he was sure of one thing. Hwang Hyunjin was like a drug, and Seungmin was addicted. 

 


	24. Day Nine

Minho yawned as he opened his door. He was annoyed at being woken so early in the morning, and even more annoyed to find that Hyunjin was the one who'd woken him. “What do you want?” he asked.

Hyunjin angrily pushed past him, entering Minho's apartment.

“That's not very polite,” Minho shut the door behind him to be met with a glare from Hyunjin.

“Did you make him do it?” Hyunjin asked, furiously.

Minho raised his eyebrows. “You better calm the fuck down, because I don't know what you're talking about.”

“You,” Hyunjin pointed at him, “You made Seungmin end things with me.”

Minho was taken aback. “I see.” He smiled. “Two things, Hyunjin. One – Seungmin is an adult who is more than capable of making his own decisions so no, I didn't make him do anything. Two – if he ended things with you, I'm so glad.”

Hyunjin scowled. “So… so you didn't make him…”

“Nope,” Minho shrugged. “He ended things with you because you gave him no choice, Hyunjin.”

“I know,” Hyunjin said softly. “He got tired of being used.”

Minho looked at Hyunjin suspiciously. “But why are you so bothered by it? You can just find some replacement. Right?”

Hyunjin hesitated before nodding, but Minho had already noticed his hesitation. “Hyunjin, do you... have feelings for Seungmin?”

Hyunjin looked confused. “I… feelings… I don't know.”

“I suppose not knowing is a start,” Minho shrugged.

“When I'm not with him, it feels like… like…” Hyunjin struggled to find the words.

“Like there's something missing,” Minho finished for him.

Hyunjjn nodded. “That's it,” he frowned. “And when he's with me… there's this strange feeling  like… um… like I just feel different. I feel…"

"Comforted. Happy. Content," Minho finished again.

Hyunjin's eyes widened. "I think I'm...”

“In love?” Minho offered.

Hyunjin took a deep breath. “In love.”

“Then why don't you go on and tell him?” Minho smiled.

Hyunjin grinned. “I'm going to. Right now.” He turned back as he opened the door. “How'd you know all that?” he asked Minho. “I mean, the love stuff,” he said shyly.

Minho sighed. “Because I think I'm in love too.”

 

Felix took a deep breath before knocking on the door. After much coaxing and a box of gummy bears later, he'd managed to get the address from Jeongin.

Again, Minho opened his apartment door with a scowl, his eyes narrowing when he saw the pink haired boy in front of him. “What do you want?” he asked, annoyed at having to deal with another of his least favourite people.

“We need to talk,” Felix said, walking in uninvited. He didn't see the need for pleasantries either.

“What do you want to talk about?” Minho asked as Felix leaned against the kitchen counter.

“Jisung,” Felix sighed. “I need you to leave him alone.”

“What?” Minho raised his eyebrows and laughed. “And why would I do that?” he scoffed.

“Because Jisung deserves way better than a man who's still stuck in his rebellious teenage phase,” Felix answered with his arms folded.

“And you know nothing about me,” Minho said, his anger rising.

Felix shrugged. “I know that you're not good enough for Jisung. I know that you're too immature to take care of yourself, let alone take care of him.”

Minho glared at him. “I am more than capable of –"

“Do you even understand how much of an effort it is taking care of someone like Jisung?” Felix asked. “How are you going to support him when you can't even stand on your own two feet, huh?”

Minho stayed silent, Felix's words stinging him.

“You skip classes, you practically live at your friend's place,” Felix went on, “Do you know how pathetic that is?”

Minho looked down at his feet. “I…”

“If you care about him, stay away from him,” Felix said. “That’s what's best for him.”


	25. Another trip down memory lane

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mentions of suicide...

**TWELVE YEARS AGO**

At eight years old, Minho should have been under the Christmas tree, opening presents like every other kid on Christmas morning. But Minho wasn't that fortunate. He was at the hospital again. He sat in the waiting room, swinging his legs idly. He wondered if his mother had woken up yet. The doctors always managed to wake her up. Ever since his father left them, his mother liked to sleep a lot, so she took pills, but sometimes she took too many.

“Is she awake?” Minho asked with hopeful eyes as the doctor came out of the room.

The doctor knelt down in front of Minho. “I'm sorry.”

**NINE YEARS AGO**

Minho listened to the woman go on and on about how he was going to love the new place. “The couple has kids that are your age,” she smiled. “I'm sure you'll get along.” It was his fifth foster home in three years. The previous four had all found Minho's behaviour too troublesome. He kept getting into fights at school, and at home he always picked fights with the other kids.

They reached the house and his foster parents greeted him at the door. He could tell straight away that they were strict. They explained all the rules to him, and the punishments he'd receive if he broke the rules. When they were sure that he'd memorized the list of rules, they left him to meet the other foster kids. The two girls were unfriendly and barely glanced at him. But the boy who looked a little older than him, approached him with a smile. “Hello,” he smiled. “I'm Chan.”

**SIX YEARS AGO**

“You should consider yourself lucky,” Chan told him. “Not many kids are lucky enough to be adopted. And they seem like a nice family.”

“But I'm happy here,” fifteen year old Minho shrugged. He really didn't want to leave Chan alone. Together, Minho and Chan survived the harshness of their foster parents. Minho felt terrible just abandoning Chan now.

Chan knew Minho felt guilty but he didn't blame Minho for being lucky enough to get adopted. “Minho, you'll be better off there,” Chan reassured him. “You can always visit me here whenever you want.”

“Fine,” Minho sighed. “I guess I don't have a choice.”

**THREE YEARS AGO**

“Why is he sleeping on our couch when he has his own apartment?” Woojin frowned at his boyfriend.

Chan sighed. “It's not his fault. I asked him to.”

Woojin raised his eyebrows. “But why?”

“We went through so much together,” Chan explained. “Knowing he's in some apartment a few blocks away from me makes me uneasy. I mean why should he stay alone when he has me?”

Woojin placed his arms around Chan. “You know he's old enough to stay alone, right?”

“He's old enough,” Chan admitted. “But is he mentally stable enough? I don't think so.” Chan watched as Minho muttered something in his sleep. “I guess I'm afraid that if he's alone, he'll do the same thing that his mother did.”

  



	26. Day Nine

“What did you want to tell me?” Jisung asked, sitting on the couch next to Felix. “I have to get to the store soon.”

“Yeah, um…” Felix scratched the back of his neck, not knowing how to go about it. “Ji…”

“Yes?” Jisung sipped on his coffee, “Is something wrong, Lixie?”

“I've been lying to you,” Felix said, closing his eyes.

Jisung looked at him in confusion. “Lying?” he furrowed his brows. “About what?”

“Jisung, I'm getting married soon,” Felix said, unable to look him in the eye.

“W-what do you m-mean?” Jisung began to stutter as his anxiety rose. “Y-you're j-joking r-right?”

“I'm sorry,” Felix shook his head. “The only reason I came back was to tell you. I couldn't do it without telling you.”

Jisung shook his head and began rocking backwards and forwards. “N-no… th-this… y-you c-can't…”

“I really love him, Jisung,” Felix tried to explain. “Please try to understand.”

Jisung felt hot tears run down his cheeks. Felix put an arm around him but Jisung shrugged it off. “D-don't t-touch me.”

“I'm so sorry,” Felix whispered. “I'm so sorry, Ji.” Felix stood up. “I should go. We'll talk later when you feel up to it.” Jisung kept his head down as Felix made his way to the door. “I'm sorry, Jisung,” Felix said again before he left.

Jisung felt his body go weak. Felix was leaving him again. He was going to be alone again. _Or am I?_ He thought about it. He wasn't really alone, was he? To Jisung's surprise, the thought of Minho made his lips curve into a small smile, and the pain Felix caused him was reduced to a dull ache, something bearable. 

 

Jisung waited at the bookshop the whole day, and as each hour ticked by, he became more and more concerned. Minho hadn't stopped by. It was unusual. And if Jisung was being honest, he missed him.

“Jeongin can you lock up for me?” he asked and handed the boy his keys.

He was glad he still remembered the way to Minho’s apartment. He knocked twice on the door before it was opened by Minho. Minho was taken aback seeing Jisung standing at his door, a nervous smile on his face. “I…” Jisung blushed. “I was worried.”

“Why?” Minho shrugged, standing still in the doorway.

“Because you didn't show up today,” Jisung explained, feeling his cheeks heating up.

“Oh,” was all Minho said, making Jisung feel awkward.

“If you're busy, I'll just go,” Jisung gave him a small smile, hoping Minho would just invite him in.

Minho sighed. “I went to my classes today. So I'm kind of tired,” he told a surprised Jisung. “And I have homework.”

“Ah,” Jisung looked away embarrassed. “I'll just go then.”

Minho nodded. “See you around.”

Jisung was astounded when Minho suddenly shut the door. _Did I do something wrong?_ He wondered.

He couldn't help the sinking feeling in his heart as he walked home. 

 

Jisung wasn't the only one concerned. “He hasn't been here all day,” Chan said as he paced up and down the living room.

Woojin tried to calm his boyfriend down. “Maybe he was with Jisung the whole day?”

“Nope,” Jeongin said from the couch. “Jisung was at the store the whole day and Minho didn't show up.”

“I'm going to his place,” Chan put on his jacket and grabbed his car keys.

 

“What do you mean you were at college today?” Chan asked, confused as Minho filled him in on what he'd been up to.

Minho shrugged. “I had classes, so…”

“You actually went to classes today?” Chan stared at him open mouthed. “Are you serious?”

“Yeah,” Minho nodded.

“Oh my god,” Chan whispered in shock. “Woojin was right. Jisung has changed you. I'm so proud.”

Minho shook his head. “Please let's not talk about Jisung.” The thought of Jisung made his heart ache.

“Oh,” Chan furrowed his brows. “Are you not doing the 30 day thing anymore?”

“It's complicated,” Minho leaned back against the couch, closing his eyes.

“How?” Chan asked.

“I'm still committed to him,” Minho admitted. “I'm just doing what's best for him by staying away from him.”

Chan shook his head. “Minho, you're not a bad person.”

“Yes, I am,” Minho argued. “I've done horrible things. But I'm trying to be better. I'm really trying. And until I think I'm good enough, I'm going to stay away from him.”

“Minho, are you sure you're doing the right thing?” Chan asked, worried about Minho's health.

Minho stared into space. “I know it doesn't sound right. But it is. You see, commitment doesn't just mean staying close to someone. Sometimes it can mean that you have to stay away, if that's what it takes for the other person to be happy.”


	27. Day Ten

Jisung wondered if Minho had classes or whether he'd stop by the book store. He wondered what had brought about the sudden change in Minho. He understood that it was good that Minho was focusing on his studies. But now Jisung was just feeling neglected. Maybe Felix was right, he thought. _Maybe I don't really know Minho_.

Minho watched Jisung staring into space at the bookshop. He waited for the woman at the cafe counter to hand him his coffee before going outside and facing the front of the bookstore. He had the urge to go in and hug Jisung. But he knew he shouldn't. He made his way past the store, his heart aching for him to go in the opposite direction.

Woojin knew Chan was worried about Minho. “He's just not the same,” Chan muttered as they sat down in front of the TV. “I know we wanted him to be more serious about things, but I didn't realize it would make him this unhappy. But I guess he's doing it for Jisung.”

“You're worried about that?” Woojin asked.

Chan nodded. “I'll admit, I was surprised when I realized how close he and Jisung became. I mean… it's not even two weeks right?” Chan sighed. “It took you and I two years of friendship before we decided to date.”

Woojin smiled at the memory. “I guess every relationship is unique. Every relationship develops at it's own pace, right? Just because it took us two years to realize we're in love, it doesn't mean Minho and Jisung can't realize it in two weeks.”

“You're right,” Chan nodded. “I just wish Minho didn't think he has to be a different person for Jisung. If I could just convince him…”

“You can't,” Woojin shook his head. “But maybe…”

“Maybe?” Chan looked at his boyfriend hopefully.

“Maybe Jisung can,” Woojin smiled slyly. “Wanna go see him?”

 

Jisung looked at the couple skeptically. “So you're telling me that Minho is avoiding me because he wants to be a whole new person and whatever?”

Chan chuckled. “I'm not sure what the ‘and whatever’ refers to but yeah, he pretty much wants to be a better person for you.”

“That's ridiculous,” Jisung rolled his eyes. “What's the point in becoming a different person when I like him just the way he is?” He reddened when he realized what he'd said.

Woojin quickly pounced. “Sooo, you like him, huh?” he smirked. “As in… _like like_ him?”

Jisung’s cheeks were on fire. “I don't know what you mean.”

“Like as in love,” Chan shrugged. “Do you?”

Jisung covered his face. “Ahhh… how can you just ask that?” his voice was muffled by his hands.

Woojin glared at Chan. “But really, how can you just ask that? You have to be more tactful about these things.”

Chan made a face. “Well, your ‘like like’ wasn't actually getting us anywhere so -

“It would have if you were more patient,” Woojin scolded. “Why do you have to be so impatient?”

Jisung lowered his hands, watching their argument in confusion. “Um hello, I'm still here,” he interrupted.

Chan and Woojin giggled, both embarrassed. “Okay, here's the deal,” Woojin cleared his throat in a business like manner. “We're not saying that you like like him -"

“Or love,” Chan added, earning a glare from Woojin.

“But,” Woojin continued, “we are saying that if you want the old Minho back, you're the only one who can get him back. Because he's doing this for you.”

Jisung sighed. “But how do I even… I mean, I - I can't just approach him and - and…” Just the thought of it made Jisung's anxiety levels spike.

Woojin and Chan exchanged a look and Woojin smirked. “We'll help you with that,” Chan smiled smugly.

“How?” Jisung asked, doubtfully.

Woojin laughed. “Don't worry. There's no problem that chicken won't solve.”


	28. Day Eleven

Minho sat down on the couch in Chan and Woojin's apartment. “I only came for the chicken,” he warned them. “I'm not staying long.”

Seungmin frowned. “Only for the chicken? It's my birthday so at least stay for the cake.”

“I have a ton of assignments to catch up on,” Minho groaned.

“But it's chocolate cake,” Jeongin smiled and wiggled his brows.

"You don't even like chocolate," Minho scowled.

"But _you_ do," Jeongin said with a smug smile.

Minho gave in. “Fine then.”

There was a knock on the door and Chan happily sprang off the couch to invite his guest in.

Minho heard whispering and wondered who Chan had invited. His jaw dropped when Jisung walked into the apartment. “What are you doing here?” Minho asked looking from Chan to Jisung.

Jisung shrugged. “I was invited for Seungmin’s birthday.”

Woojin nodded. “He's Seungmin's boss after all.”

Minho shot Chan an accusatory look but Chan just smiled. “Let's all sit down to eat, shall we?”

They all made their way to the dinner table and Jisung put a hand on Minho’s shoulder, cringing at having to initiate the physical contact. “How are you?” he asked Minho, who had turned to look at him in surprise.

“I'm okay,” Minho shrugged Jisung's hand off and took a seat at the table. He silently begged Chan to sit next to him, but Chan pretended not to notice, leaving Jisung to sit in the empty seat next to Minho.

Jeongin had just finished setting the plates on the table when there was another knock on the door. “I'll get it!” he happily skipped to the door before Seungmin realized what was about to happen.

Everyone stood up in a rush when they heard a loud dolphin-like scream, followed by “Serial killer! Serial killer at the door!”

Woojin quickly grabbed the baseball bat from the behind the door pointing it at the stranger, while Chan had his arms protectively around Jeongin. Minho stood back, laughing at the scene playing out in front of him.Jisung just stood staring in awe at Minho’s beautiful laugh.

Seungmin groaned, placing himself between Hyunjin and everyone else. “Everyone, calm down,” he held his hands up. “I invited him here.”

Jeongin’s eyes widened. “Minnie! You've joined forces with the serial killer! I trusted you!”

Seungmin sighed. “He is not a serial killer. He's Hwang Hyunjin - my boyfriend.”

“He's your WHAT?” Chan glared at Seungmin.

Woojin still hadn't lowered the baseball bat. He narrowed his eyes at Hyunjin. “I need your age, your address, your contact details, and a copy of any police record you might have. Copies of your school records would be helpful too.”

Hyunjin looked at Seungmin. “When you said they're all a bit abnormal, I didn't think you meant you actually live in a madhouse,” he whispered.

“Woojin hyung,” Seungmin laughed nervously. “There's no need for all that. Take my word for it - he's a good guy.”

“Seungmin, honey,” Chan sighed, his eyes traveling down Hyunjin's body, “I never met a good guy who looked like that. He has bad written all over him.”

Woojin lowered the baseball bat and glared at Chan who seemed to remember himself and quickly looked away from Hyunjin.

“I'm sure we can interrogate him over dinner,” Minho winked at Seungmin, gesturing for him and Hyunjin to follow him to the table. Seungmin smiled gratefully as Woojin and Chan reluctantly agreed.

“So, Hwang Hyunjin,” Woojin eyed the boy who sat next to Seungmin.

Hyunjin's eyes widened. “Yes?”

“Do you like chicken?” Woojin asked, his expression serious.

Hyunjin furrowed his brows. “Chicken? Oh I love chicken.”

Woojin nodded. “He might not be so bad after all,” he said to Chan.

Seungmin smiled in relief, placing his hand over Hyunjin’s. “I told you it'll be okay,” he whispered. Hyunjin nodded, linking their fingers.

“Hey!” Chan pointed a bread knife at Hyunjin. “There will be no touching at this table.”

Seungmin and Hyunjin quickly moved their hands away. And Hyunjin muttered a quick apology.

Minho watched as Jisung ate, his cheeks puffing adorably like a squirrel. He couldn't understand how someone could be so cute while eating.

Jisung swallowed another mouthful of chicken and glanced at Minho. “Take a picture, it'll last longer.”

Minho blushed. “I - I was just um…” He realized it would be best to just keep quiet so he went back to eating.

Jisung looked around the table at the others who were too engrossed in their own conversations to take notice of him and Minho. “You haven't been to the bookshop in a while,” Jisung said, his eyes on Minho.

Minho nodded. “Told you. I've been busy.”

It took a lot of courage, but Jisung admitted it. “I miss you,” he whispered.

Minho's eyes widened. “Jisung…” he looked into the younger’s big brown eyes. “I…”

I miss you too. He wished he could say it. “I need to go,” he announced, standing up.

“So suddenly?” Chan asked, exchanging a worried look with Woojin.

“I have a lot to do,” Minho smiled at Seungmin. “Enjoy the rest of your birthday.”

“Well, that plan was an epic fail,” Chan pouted when Minho had left.

Jisung frowned, making up his mind. “Then I guess I just need to work a little harder. He's worth fighting for.”

 


	29. Day Twelve to Day Twenty

**DAY 12**

Jisung knocked on Minho's apartment door. Minho opened it, saw Jisung and walked out, shutting the door behind him.

"Minho!" Jisung called after him. "Where are you going?"

"Classes," Minho called over his shoulder, trying to get away from Jisung. "And don't bother coming by later. I'll be studying."

Jisung stood open-mouthed outside Minho's apartment, watching him almost jogging away.

**DAY 13**

Minho opened the door to find Jisung waiting with a hopeful expression.

"I know it's late in the evening and you're probably studying," Jisung explained. "But I brought some snacks that you might like, so maybe we can -"

Minho grabbed the bag from Jisung's hand. "Cool. Thanks." He shut the door, leaning back against it. _I. Must. Stay. Away._

**DAY 14**

"Hey, hyung," Jeongin grinned, standing outside Minho's apartment. He flashed his cutest smile.

"What do you want?" Minho asked suspiciously.

Jeongin tried flashing an even more adorable smile. "Wanna come hang out with me and Jisung hyung in the bookshop t -"

Minho shut the door.

**DAY 15**

"Hyung, I'm in trouble and I really need your help," Seungmin said over the phone.

Minho frowned. "Is it Hyunjin again?"

"Yes," Seungmin tried to fake a cry. "Come here fast hyung!"

"And where is _here_?" Minho asked, standing up and fetching his jacket.

"The bookstore," Seungmin told him.

Minho narrowed his eyes at the phone. "Okay... but when I get there, I'm going to kill Hyunjin. And if he isn't there and you're lying to me, I'm going to kill _you_."

"Um hyung, nevermind," Seungmin laughed nervously. "I'm completely fine."

Minho heard Jisung groaning next to Seungmin.

**DAY 16**

"Minho," Woojin said cautiously over the phone. "How are you?"

"I'm okay, I guess," Minho said. "Do you need something, hyung?"

"Oh no no," Woojin laughed. "You must be hungry with all the studying you've been doing. So I made a huge dish of fried chicken for you."

"Oh," Minho's eyes lit up. "But you know I'm not coming to your place, right? God forbid, you invite Jisung as a guest again."

"Told you he wouldn't come," Chan muttered to Woojin

"Oh umm," Woojin tried to think of something. "The chicken isn't here. I accidentally left it at the bookstore."

Minho ended the call.

Chan glared at Woojin. "Really? You couldn't come up with anything other than you accidentally left chicken at the bookstore?"

"I panicked," Woojin shrugged. "I'll call Jisung and tell him that we failed."

**DAY 17**

Minho saw a slip of paper slide under his door. He retrieved the paper and read the poem that was scrawled in neat writing.

_ I miss you _

_ I know you miss me more _

_ So don't be mean _

_ Just open the door _

_ Let's go for coffee _

_ And cake and other tasty stuff _

_ Just open the damn door _

_ Boy I've been waiting long enough _

Minho rolled around on the floor, trying to muffle his laughter with his hand.

He took a photo of the poem before scrawling his reply and pushing it back under the door.

Jisung tapped his foot impatiently and sighed when he saw the piece of paper slip back to him. He read the reply at the back.

_ I have stuff to study _

_ No time for cake _

_ No time for coffee _

_ So dear cute squirrel _

_ Don't bother me _

**DAY 18**

"So he was stalking you at first and now you and the rest of his friends have joined forces to stalk him to get him to go back to his stalking behaviour?" Jisung's therapist tried to understand his situation.

Jisung nodded, relieved that Namjoon had grasped the situation.

"Jisung," Namjoon looked at him blankly. "For the first time in my career, I have been rendered speechless."

**DAY 19**

Minho giggled at the photo he'd taken of Jisung's poem. _I really do miss you. I wish I could hold you, kiss you, just be with you._

But Felix's words still rang in his mind. _I know that you're not good enough for Jisung._

**DAY 20**

Chan and Woojin looked at Jisung sympathetically. "So nothing worked?"

Jisung shook his head sadly.

"Okay," Chan said, clasping his hands together, all business-like. "This calls for drastic measures."

Jisung looked at him fearfully. "What measures?"

Chan blinked. "I don't know yet, but we'll get there."

"Tomorrow is Saturday so he doesn't have classes," Woojin told them. "It's perfect. He won't have an excuse to not go out, even for a little while."

"But how do I get him to go out?" Jisung pouted. "He's so stubborn."

Chan smirked. "But he's also whipped for you."


	30. Day Twenty One

Jisung knocked on Minho's door, trying to calm his nerves. _You can do this, Jisung._

Minho opened the door, blinking in surprise. He tried to calm his racing heart when he saw Jisung's gummy smile.

"Hey," Jisung grinned. "Let's go."

Minho looked at him blankly. "Jisung, what are you talking about?"

Jisung rolled his eyes. "It's Saturday so I know you don't have classes. And you have to go with me to the supermarket."

"Have to?" Minho laughed in disbelief. "I don't think so. I have stuff to do and -"

"Fine, then I'll just starve," Jisung pouted with his arms folded, hoping Chan's idea would work.

Minho groaned. "Let me get my jacket," he muttered.

Jisung made a mental note to thank Chan.

"You know," Jisung glanced at Minho as they walked to the supermarket, "the last time we walked down this street, you held my hand."

Minho knew what he was hinting at but didn't take the bait. "Yep," he said. "And now we're walking up this street, not down."

Jisung didn't give up. "Does that mean you'll hold my hand on our way back?"

Minho sighed. "When I held your hand, you were almost in tears, Jisung. I just felt bad."

"Ooh," Jisung looked up at the sky thoughtfully. "So that's what it'll take, huh?"

Minho watched in amusement as Jisung narrowed his eyes trying to conjure up tears. "Give it up," he shook his head. "Look, we're at the supermarket anyway."

Jisung pouted and followed Minho into the crowded store. He instinctively began to shiver at the sight of all those people. Minho looked back and realized that Jisung had frozen in place. He clasped Jisung's hand and pulled him through the throngs of people busy with their weekend shopping.

He managed to guide Jisung to an aisle where there were only a few people. "Jisung, look at me."

Jisung couldn't focus. His wide eyes kept darting everywhere, his heart beating rapidly.

Minho cupped Jisung's face, waiting for Jisung's eyes to focus on his own. "That's it, baby," he tried to soothe him. "It's okay. I'm with you."

Jisung nodded, finally able to breathe properly. "It's okay," he repeated after Minho.

Minho nodded with a small smile. "Now let's get what you need."

Jisung followed Minho around, whispering and tugging on his sleeve whenever he spotted something he wanted.

"Do we have everything now?" Minho asked, looking at their shopping cart.

Jisung frowned. "I feel like I'm forgetting something."

It took Minho a few moments. "Strawberry milk!" he clicked his fingers. "Wait here, I'll get it for you," he smiled.

Jisung was surprised that Minho remembered. He giggled at the memory of his first visit to the supermarket with Minho.

"What's so funny?" Minho asked, returning with the strawberry milk.

"You," Jisung looked up at him shyly, before leading him to the paying line. Jisung began to mentally prepare himself for his interaction with the cashier. _Just say hello, put your card in the machine, punch in the code, and you're done,_ he reasssured himself.

To Jisung's surprise, Minho carefully took the card from Jisung's grip. "We can do it together," he reassured Jisung who nodded gratefully.

When it was their turn to pay, Minho greeted the cashier, inserted the card and let Jisung punch in his pin code. "All done," Minho smiled, as they left the supermarket.

"Thank you," Jisung said softly.

Minho shook his head. "No need."

"So," Jisung said, as they walked to his apartment, "now that we're walking down the street..."

"What?" Minho glanced at him.

"You gonna hold my hand or...?" Jisung looked at him with the goofiest smile and Minho felt like pulling him into a hug right there and then.

_Have some restraint, Minho_. "I can't," he smiled. "I'm holding your shopping bags."

Jisung smiled to himself. At least he got an 'I can't' and not an 'I don't want to'. To him, that was a win.

Minho set the shopping bags down on Jisung's kitchen counter. He chuckled, noting how clean everything was. "At least I won't be washing dishes today."

Jisung bit his lip. _Just ask him._ He cleared his throat. "Maybe you can wash the dishes after lunch. I mean if you want to stay for lunch. I mean I want you to stay for lunch. And you don't actually have to wash dishes."

Minho sighed. He knew he shouldn't. _Say no say no say no say no_. "N-yeah sure." He couldn't pass up the opportunity to spend time with Jisung. I _t's just lunch_ , he reassured himself. _If I sit far away from him, I'm technically still staying away from him, right?_

"Minho," Jisung raised his eyebrows. "Why are you sitting all the way over there?" He stared at Minho who had seated himself in the far corner of the living room.

"Oh um," Minho shrugged. "No reason."

"Then come help me cook," Jisung smiled, looking at him expectantly.

Minho remembered how Jisung had made breakfast at his apartment - with that cute, focused expression on his face, wearing Minho's sweatshirt.

"Minho? You coming?"

Minho snapped back to the present. "Umm..." _I. Must. Stay. Away_. "Um... N-Okay." Minho sighed, annoyed by his weakness.

"Chop this," Jisung said handing Minho an onion.

Minho who had never chopped an onion before, hesitantly took the knife. Jisung watched in anusement as tears began running down Minho's cheeks. He bit his lip to stifle his laughter.

Minho wiped away the tears with the back of his hand, but as soon as he resumed chopping the onion, more tears came. "What devilry is this?" he muttered to himself.

"Here," Jisung, shaking with laughter, stood in front of him, a tissue in his hand. Minho took the tissue and abandoned the onions.

"Are you laughing at me?" he pouted.

Jisung nodded. "Yep," he laughed. "What you gonna do about it?" he challenged Minho, hoping that he would in fact do something.

Minho shook his head. "If you're trying to provoke me to do something, you're doing a bad job."

Jisung sighed and went back to cooking. "Was worth a try," he muttered.

Minho hated the sad expression that had settled on Jisung's face. "What do you want Jisung?"

_For you to kiss me and cuddle with me and be my Minho,_ Jisung wished he could say. "Nothing," he shook his head.

Minho nodded. "Okay."

  
  


They ate in silence, Minho feeling relieved that Jisung was actually eating all his food. "I'm glad that you're eating," he smiled.

Jisung nodded, not looking up. "Mmhm."

Minho felt a pang of guilt. "Are you angry at me?"

"Nah," Jisung shook his head, his gaze still lowered.

"You are," Minho observed.

"I'm not," Jisung snapped, lifting his gaze to meet Minho's. Of course, he regretted it. The intensity of Minho's gaze made him flush red.

Minho stood up and walked over to where Jisung sat. "Stand up, please."

Jisung stood up, wide-eyed. To his surprise, Minho put his arms around Jisung, holding him close. Jisung wrapped his arms around Minho, resting his head in the crook of Minho's neck. "Don't be angry at me," Minho whispered, stroking Jisung's hair. "Whatever I'm doing is for your own good."

Jisung pulled back slightly so he could look at Minho. "Why would you think I need you to be any different? Minho, you're perfect."

Minho shook his head, not believing Jisung. "Give me some time, Jisung. I can be better."

"But I don't need you to be -"

"Ssh," Minho placed a finger over Jisung's lips. "Just be a little patient." He let go of Jisung and stepped back.

"Minho, just wait -"

Jisung sighed as Minho walked out of the apartment. _Why do you have to make this so difficult?_


	31. Day Twenty Two

"Oh come on," Chan scowled. "You're here so you may as well take it." He handed Jeongin's lunchbox over to Minho.

"Don't let our baby starve," Woojin pleaded. "You know we'd take it to the bookstore ourselves but we're already running late for our class."

"Trust me," Chan said, "you won't run into Jisung today. Jeongin said he took the day off."

"Are you sure?" Minho asked doubtfully. "I was so close to kissing him yesterday, Chan. I can't do anything with him until I'm good enough for him."

Chan rolled his eyes. "Minho I'm tired of asking why you think you're not good enough. But yeah, I'm sure he won't be there today."

Minho walked into the bookstore after making sure he couldn't see Jisung through the window. Jeongin gasped when Minho handed him his lunchbox. "Thank you thank you thank you!" he clapped his hands.

Minho shook his head at the Shark Family video that was playing again. "Is that all you do the whole day?" he chuckled.

Jeongin nodded. "It's addictive."

Minho heard a rustling behind one of the bookshelves. "Do you hear that?" he asked Jeongin.

Jeongin rolled his eyes. "I've been hearing that a lot lately. Go see for yourself."

Minho gave him a confused look before making his way to the shelves. He cringed when he saw Seungmin and Hyunjin having another makeout session. This time it was Seungmin who had Hyunjin's wrists pinned to a bookshelf. Minho removed a thin paperback book from the shelf and wacked Seungmin over the head.

Seungmin yelped in surprise and both he and Hyunjin turned red with embarrassment. "Um hey," Hyunjin grinned sheepishly.

"Enjoying yourselves?" Minho asked smirking. Seungmin and Hyunjin exchanged shy smiles. "Carry on then," Minho shrugged, leaving them alone.

He went back out to the front to find Jeongin talking to... _ugh. Felix._

"Why are you here?" Felix narrowed his eyes at Minho.

"None of your business," Minho muttered. "Innie, I'll see you later," he said to Jeongin and began to walk away.

Felix gripped his arm forcing him to turn around. "I told you to stay away from Jisung so why are you still hanging around here?"

Minho shook off Felix's hand. "I'm doing my best to stay away from him, okay? You told me I'm not good enough for him and I'm trying to fix that."

"If you were really trying, you wouldn't be here," Felix scowled. "Now at least let him spend his birthday in peace."

_His birthday? It's Jisung's birthday?_ Minho turned to leave, and then realized Jeongin must have overheard their whole conversation. He didn't want Chan to find out what Felix had said to him. Chan tended to lose his temper easily... To his relief, Jeongin had his earphones plugged in and was currently singing "Baby shark du du du."

Jeongin watched Minho walk out, hoping that he believed he didn't hear their conversation. He wondered what to do with the new information he'd learned. 

  
Minho browsed the shelves in the store, wondering what Jisung would like. His plan was simple - get a gift and leave it outside Jisung's door. _But what gift?_

He came across a shelf filled with plushies and his eyes lit up. _Surely Jisung would love one of them_. He looked at each one carefully, unable to make up his mind. He noticed another male looking at the plushies, probably having the same dilemma. "It's hard, right?"

The male looked at him in surprise. "Oh yeah," he grinned. "There's so many cute ones. I don't know which one he'd like. Actually, I know he'll love all. I just don't know which one he'd love the most."

"Same here," Minho grimaced, examining a unicorn plushie.

"What's the occasion?" the male asked him with a smile.

"Birthday," Minho shrugged. "It's a last minute present because I only just found out."

"Ah," the male nodded in understanding. "Don't worry. If it comes from the heart, he'll love it. By the way, _he_ is your...?"

"Oh," Minho blushed, "umm... he is... um... it's complicated," he laughed. "What about you? What's the occasion?"

The male chuckled. "Love." He smiled at Minho's confused expression. "He's been a bit stressed out lately. So I just wanna get him something to cheer him up and let him know I'm there for him."

"Your boyfriend?" Minho asked, curiously.

"Fiance," he replied with a grin. "My name's Changbin by the way."

"Nice to meet you," Minho smiled. "I'm Minho."

"That's cute," Changbin said, looking at the squirrel plushie Minho had picked up.

Minho chuckled. "It looks like him. I'm gonna take this one. Did you find anything?"

Changbin laughed. "I doubt I'll find anything that looks like Felix. Maybe that giant carrot plushie there."

Minho stared at him. _Felix? Carrot?_ "Does Felix have carrot coloured hair?"

Changbin nodded with a smile. "He does. It suits him well, I think. He dyed it when we were in Australia."

Minho couldn't just leave the gift outside Jisung's door like he planned. He needed to know whether Jisung knew about Felix and Changbin.

He knocked on the door and it was opened by Jisung who looked like he was just going out. "Going somewhere?" Minho asked, his eyes traveling down to the shirt exposing Jisung's collar bone.

"Yeah, in a few minutes," Jisung smiled. "But this visit from you is a surprise - a pleasant one. Come in."

Minho followed Jisung in. "I just... um..." he handed Jisung the plushie he'd picked out. "It's for you. For your birthday. I mean... happy birthday, Jisung." He bit his lip suddenly feeling shy.

Jisung took the plushie and hugged it to his chest. "Minho, thank you! I love it," he smiled widely. "But how did you know it's my birthday?"

"Ah," Minho frowned. "I ran into Felix at the bookshop."

"Of course," Jisung smiled. "I told him to check on Jeongin and Seungmin when he was in the area."

Minho nodded. "I also ran into someone else today."

"Who was it?" Jisung asked, his eyes still on the squirrel.

Minho hesitated. "Did Felix ever tell you about um... did he say he's dating anyone?"

Jisung smiled at Minho. "Not dating - He's marrying someone soon."

"Oh," Minho breathed a sigh of relief that Jisung already knew. He hated being the bearer of bad news. "I met his fiance today." Minho observed Jisung who seemed somewhat unbothered by it. "It doesn't bother you?"

Jisung looked at him wide-eyed. "That you met his fiance?"

"No, sorry," Minho laughed. "My thoughts are always mixed up when I'm with you."

Jisung smiled. "I know the feeling."

Minho blushed. "Anyway, I meant it doesn't bother you that he's with someone else?"

"It did. A lot. But... it's getting better." He lifted his gaze to meet Minho's, and he smiled. "It's getting a lot better."

"I... " Minho didn't know what to say. "I'm glad."

"Actually," Jisung sighed. "I'm going over to Felix's place for dinner and I'm going to meet his fiance too. I'm kind of nervous."

"Oh," Minho frowned, worried about Jisung. "Maybe you shouldn't go."

Jisung had a better idea. "Maybe you should come with me."

Now, Minho knew that Felix was just going to freak out, seeing him with Jisung. But Jisung was his priority and if Jisung needed his support, he was going to get it. 


	32. Day Twenty Two

Felix's smile faded as soon as he saw the grinning male standing next to Jisung. He clenched his fingers into fists, trying to mask his anger from Jisung.

Jisung smiled at Felix. "I hope you don't mind me bringing Minho along."

"Not at all," Felix lied, beckoning for them to come inside the apartment.

Jisung went in first, giving Felix the opportunity to give Minho a deadly glare as he stepped inside. Felix was even more annoyed when Minho looked completely unaffected.

Felix ushered them into the living room where Changbin immediately stood up to greet them. His eyes widened when he saw Minho. "The squirrel guy!" he said with a laugh.

Minho chuckled. "I guess I should call you the carrot guy then. And please don't tell me you actually bought the carrot?"

"I settled for a bunny. It was close enough," Changbin shrugged. He realized Felix was confused and he explained with a grin, "He was also doing some plushie shopping today. For Jisung, I'm assuming."

Jisung nodded, awkwardly observing the scene from the sidelines. Felix managed to snap out of his angry thoughts about Minho buying Jisung plushies. "Jisung," he said, smiling nervously, "this is Changbin, my... um..."

"Your fiance," Jisung finished for him, giving him a genuine smile which puzzled Felix.

Minho placed his hand on Jisung's back, reminding him that he was there for him. Jisung leaned into him and gave him a grateful smile.

Felix tried to pretend that he didn't see the intimate getsure and led them all to the dining table where he had all Jisung's favourite foods laid out.

"You didn't have to do all this," Jisung said, looking at the food in surprise.

"Of course I had to," Felix smiled. "And Changbin helped a lot."

"Thank you," Jisung thanked Changbin. "I know Felix can't cook so you probably had to do everything," he teased.

Felix pouted. "I can cook a little."

Changbin laughed. "Lix, you can't even chop onions."

"Yep," Jisung agreed. "Just like Minho. He can barely crack an egg properly." He stuck out his tongue at Minho who rolled his eyes but smiled.

"But I can always call you when I need them done properly," Minho teased him back.

Felix looked at Jisung worried. "Have you... um... been.. um... cracking a lot of eggs at Minho's place lately?"

Changbin, Jisung and Minho all looked at Felix blankly. "Um lets just eat," Felix said quickly.

Throughout their dinner, Changbin had to constantly kick Felix under the table and give him warning looks every time he glared at Minho, or stopped eating to watch Minho and Jisung's cute interactions.

At one point, Felix noticed Jisung whisper into Minho's ear. Without thinking, he asked Jisung, "What did you just whisper to Minho?"

"Just if he was going to walk me home," Jisung had reddened.

Changbin hurriedly stood up. "Felix, why don't you help me take these to the kitchen?" he gestured to the empty plates.

"What's wrong?" Felix asked when they were alone in the kitchen.

"Your behaviour," Changbin said, his arms folded. "You're being rude."

"I... I just..." Felix looked away. "Fine. Sorry."

Changbin frowned, worried about how the rest of the evening would go. "Just take the cake," he said, sighing.

"I'm definitely not letting you hold it," Felix chuckled. "You're an expert at dropping cakes."

"It was just once," Changbin pouted, following him back to the dining table.

"Ooh a cake!" Jisung said, clapping his hands. Minho couldn't help smiling at his cuteness.

"Not just any cake," Felix announced. "It's a chocolate cheesecake."

"Chocolate and cheesecake!" Jisung squealed.

Felix lit the candles and they all began to sing happy birthday for Jisung. Jisung knew he should be focused on the cake but he couldn't take his eyes off Minho who sang every note beautifully.

Minho, couldn t take his eyes off Jisung either. He sang to Jisung like they were the only two people in the room. "Happy birthday, my squirrel," he finished the song in a whisper, placing a hand on Jisung's cheek.

"Thank you," Jisung whispered back, a blush creeping into his cheeks.

"You should blow out the candles now," Felix quickly interrupted.

Minho watched as Jisung closed his eyes, making a wish. He wondered what it was that Jisung wished for.

Jisung opened his eyes and glanced at Minho before blowing out the candles.

Jisung and Minho said their goodbyes to Felix and Changbin before making their way out of the apartment.

Jisung bit his lip before trying to subtly move his hand closer to Minho's as they walked back to Jisung's place.

To Jisung's dismay, Minho placed his hands in his jacket pockets.

"Nice night, huh?" Jisung said, trying to make conversation with an unusually quiet Minho.

Minho cleared his throat. "Yeah." Minho knew his quietness probably made Jisung uncomfortable. But he was just trying to control himself. He felt as though he'd already crossed the line by going to Felix's apartment with Jisung. And just a few moments ago, Jisung's hand had been dangerously close to his. Minho knew that if he held Jisung's hand right now, it would be difficult for him to let go. And he needed to let go.

He looked up when he realized they were outside Jisung's building. "I guess I'll say goodnight now," he gave Jisung a small smile.

Jisung frowned. "You're not even walking me to my apartment door?"

Minho shook his head. "Jisung, it's just in there. You'll manage."

"Minho..." Jisung looked at him sadly. "Please just... just..."

"No, Jisung," Minho shook his head firmly. "Goodnight."

"Don't go," Jisung whispered.

Minho looked away, closing his eyes. Control yourself Minho - for Jisung, he warned himself. "Goodnight," he repeated, his voice strained.

Jisung watched Minho walking away, letting the tears flow freely down his cheeks. _Will my wish ever come true?_ he wondered.


	33. Day Twenty Three

Minho sat across from Chan and Woojin who were cuddling and animatedly talking about their plans for the holidays. On Minho's left, Hyunjin and Seungmin were holding hands, Hyunjin staring at Seungmin while he did his homework. Chan looked up to see the way that Minho was observing all of them. Usually Minho would look at them with a disgusted face and make some remark about 'relationships and domestic stuff' but today he looked at them with a mixture of envy and sadness.

"Minho," Chan said gently, "why don't you just go to Jisung?"

"No," Minho's eyes filled with tears and he quickly stood up. "I'm gonna go catch up on some studying. See you later." And with that, he left the apartment, leaving all of them concerned.

Chan sighed. "If I just knew what was making him feel this way..."

Jeongin looked up from his phone, pausing the shark video. He cleared his throat. "Channie hyung?"

"Yes?" Chan asked the boy who was sitting cross-legged on the carpet.

Jeongin inhaled. "If I know something about someone and someone else wanted to know that information but they'd be upset when they heard the information should I tell them the information even if I'm not sure what they'd do with the information?" Jeongin asked, all in one breath.

"Well firstly," Chan began, and then furrowed his brows. "Actually, I didn't understand any of that. Did you?" he asked Woojin.

Woojin frowned. "Okay, there's this information, right?" he asked Jeongin.

Jeongin nodded.

"And it's important?"

Jeongin nodded again.

Chan clasped his hands together. "Let's get right to this then. What do we have to give you in exchange for the information?"

Jeongin smirked evilly and Woojin couldn't help but let out a soft "uwu."

"Cookies?" Jeongin suggested.

Woojin nodded. "Done. Now tell us."

  
  


Felix opened his apartment door, his mouth stuffed with popcorn. "Um hello," he said, his words muffled.

"Are you Felix?" the angry looking male asked.

Felix nodded, confused. "Do I know you?"

"Can you swallow all that popcorn first, please?" Chan asked annoyed.

Felix thought it best to cooperate and hastily swallowed the popcorn he'd been chewing. "Do I know you?' he asked again, his words clear this time.

"No, but my name is Chan and I'm here to talk to you about Minho and Jisung. So let me in." Felix stood to the side and Chan walked in.

Chan was surprised to see another male sitting on the couch when he walked into the living room.

"He's here to talk to me about Minho and Jisung," Felix explained with a shrug to Changbin.

"Oh," Changbin said nodding. "Good luck. Because I've been trying..." He left the room to give them some privacy and Chan was glad.

Felix sat down on the couch but Chan remained standing. "I was really angry at first," he said, beginning to pace up and down. "Really angry. I mean you're the reason Minho is suffering right now."

Felix gulped, seeing the anger in Chan's eyes. He wanted to call for Changbin but he was afraid that Changbin would actually be on Chan's side.

"But then," the anger in his eyes seemed to subside slightly, "I realized how similar you and I are."

"Similar? How?" Felix asked.

"We're taught that caring is good, right? That we should do our best to protect the ones we love. Especially when they show signs of weakness." Chan perched on the couch opposite Felix.

Felix nodded. "Yeah."

"But no one ever tells us that there are lines you shouldn't cross. Which is crazy. Because why should love have boundaries? But they are there and it's easy to forget that."

Felix frowned. "But I haven't crossed any –"

"Just listen," Chan sighed and Felix reluctantly nodded. "It's easy to care for someone so much that you start making them dependent on you because you're afraid that they're going to get themselves into a situation that you won't have control over. Think about it. Isn't it easier to care for someone who has the same routine, never does anything unexpected and never takes any risks?"

Felix's eyes widened, realizing that Chan was right.

"Sometimes, we think we're doing the right thing by keeping them close and protecting them. We think we're doing what's best for them, when what's best for them might be to actually set them free."

"I..." Felix felt his eyes fill with tears.

"Felix, don't imprison Jisung because of your own fear," Chan pleaded. "I did the same with Minho for a long time. I thought it was too late when I realized how wrong I was. But then he met Jisung. And he's so much happier with Jisung around."

"I don't know," Felix muttered, looking away. "If he hurts Jisung..."

"There's nothing you can do," Chan shrugged. "That's what letting go means – accepting that there are things you can't and shouldn't control. Are you going to stop Jisung from being in a happy relationship because you are afraid that he'll get hurt?"

"He spoke to me about letting go of Jisung," Felix explained to Changbin when Chan had left.

"And what do you think?" Changbin asked, his arm around Felix.

Felix sighed. "Binnie... I don't know whether I can."


	34. Day Twenty Four

"Ji?" Felix approached Jisung hesitantly. Jisung sat at the bookstore counter, staring into space, his head resting on the cold surface.

When Jisung didn't answer, Felix placed a hand on his shoulder. "Ji?"

Jisung looked up, surprised to see Felix. "Hey, when did you get here?" His voice was weak and expressionless.

"Are you okay?" Felix asked, sitting next to him. "I mean I can tell you're not... but do you wanna talk about it?"

"Minho thinks he isn't good enough for me," Jisung sighed. "Can you believe it?"

Felix's eyes widened. "Oh," he said, scratching the back of his neck guiltily. "Well... is he good enough?"

Jisung smiled. "Felix, maybe other people can see flaws in him. But I can't. He's always there for me. He doesn't make me feel like I'm less. When I'm with him, I feel like living. When I'm with him I amliving – and not just waiting for life to end. And that's enough for me. He's enough for me."

Felix saw a tear run down Jisung's cheek, and he realized that he needed to fix things – he'd made a big mistake. He took a deep breath. "Ji, this is my fault."

  
When Felix had finished telling Jisung about how he'd confronted Minho, Jisung could only stare at him, the betrayal too much to comprehend. "How could you?" he asked, Felix, stepping away from him.

"I thought I needed to protect you," Felix admitted. "I'm so sorry."

"You're not my boyfriend anymore!" Jisung snapped. "You don't need to do that!"

Felix nodded. "I've been doing it for years and you know what? At first I thought I was just being a possessive boyfriend. But I realize now, I wasn't possessive – I was overprotective. I mean... you were my boyfriend and then it was like... taking care of you made me..."

"Made you more like a parent and less like a boyfriend," Jisung nodded. "I understand now."

"I loved you, I really did," Felix smiled. "I guess I still do. But it's not the kind of love that you need. But... I don't think it's the kind of love Minho can give you either." He sighed. "But if you want to give Minho a chance, that's your decision and I won't interfere."

Jisung bit his lip. "Can you watch the store?" he asked. "I need to find him."

"Of course," Felix smiled.

"And Felix?" Jisung smiled back. "I really am happy for you and Changbin."

"You don't know how badly I needed to hear you say that," Felix laughed.

 

Jisung was beginning to feel worried. Minho wasn't at his apartment and he wasn't answering his phone. He his only hope now was Chan and Woojin.

"Is Minho here?" he asked, when Chan opened his door.

Chan and Woojin exchanged a look. "Jisung... sweetie... he's visiting home for a while," Woojin explained.

"Home?" Jisung looked at them confused.

Chan nodded. "His adoptive parents' home. I was surprised. He doesn't usually visit them. But he said he needed time away. That's why his phone is off as well."

Jisung sighed. "Can you help me with something?"


	35. Day Twenty Five to Day Twenty Seven

**DAY 25**

Minho sat down cross-legged on the grass in the garden. He tried to enjoy the sunshine, his eyes shaded by his long eyelashes. But his mind was soon flooded with images of Jisung. Jisung smiling, Jisung laughing, Jisung pouting, Jisung cooking, Jisung reading, Jisung eating, Jisung, Jisung, Jisung...

He groaned in frustration and was embarrassed when his adoptive father sat down next to him, giving him a questioning look. "Minho," he smiled, "you know we're not pressuring you, but if you'd like to tell us why you needed this... break... we'll be happy to listen. She's worried about you, you know." He gestured with his head to where his wife stood on the porch, looking at them.

"There's this guy," Minho began, and his father looked at him attentively. Then Minho thought better of it and shook his head. "It doesn't matter. It's complicated."

"Matters of the heart often are," his father shrugged and patted him on the back before standing. "We're here when you're ready to talk."

Minho went back to his thoughts of Jisung, only realizing that the sun had set and he was surrounded by darkness when he heard his mother shout from the porch. "Minho!"

"I'm not hungry!" he shouted, without looking.

"That's a first," he heard a familiar chuckle from behind him and immediately stood up.

"Chan?" he frowned. "What are you doing here?"

Chan smiled. "Just making a delivery." He handed Minho an envelope. "Let's talk inside?"

"I don't know if I want to read this," Minho said hesitantly when Chan told him that it was a letter from Jisung.

Chan sat on Minho's bed and observed the unhappy male. "You said those exact words to me nine years ago. But it was a letter from someone else, wasn't it?"

Minho froze in place, his eyes fixed on the carpet.

"It was from your mom, wasn't it?" Chan probed. "Her last words to you?"

Minho nodded.

"Did you ever finish reading it?" Chan asked gently.

Minho shook his head. "I didn't get past the first few lines."

"Read Jisung's letter," Chan said as he stood up and put on his jacket. He placed a hand on Minho's shoulder. "And maybe it's time you finished reading your mom's letter too."

**DAY 26**

"Minho, you've been outside the whole day," his mother frowned. "Why don't you come in and rest for a while?"

Minho sighed. He wanted to stay outside to avoid the temptation of reading Jisung's letter. Part of him was eager to hear from Jisung again, while part of him was afraid of what Jisung had to say. But he knew he couldn't run forever.

Alone in his room, Minho took out the folded piece of paper from the envelope, taking a deep breath before unfolding it. He ran his fingers over Jisung's untidy writing, feeling the spots where Jisung had pressed down too hard or had scratched out words. The ink was blotchy in some spots, as if drops of water had fallen. Not water – _tears_ , he realized.

He began to read.

_ Dear Minho, _

_ I struggled to understand how someone as confident and perfect as you could let another person make you feel like you're not good enough. But then I realized that it isn't your fault. It's mine. All that time I spent pushing you away, I could have told you. I could have told you that there will never be anyone more perfect for me than you are, Lee Minho. You make me happy. You make me feel loved. What more do I need? _

_ You don't need to change anything. Okay, yeah, you do need to attend classes. But you can still be Minho. And you can still be with me. You don't need to be a different person. _

_ I love you just as you are. Yeah, I said it. Maybe it's too soon and you're going to run for the hills because I said the L word. But it is what it is. _

_ I love you, Lee Minho. And if you haven't realized that by now, maybe I haven't been working hard enough to show it. So maybe it's me who isn't good enough. _

_ I'll be waiting for you, Minho. You know where to find me, psycho. _

_ Love, _

_ Jisung _

Minho felt drops of water fall onto his hands and he looked up at the ceiling to see if there was a leak in the roof. It took him a few seconds to realize that it wasn't rain, but his tears. He lay down on the bed and sighed.

**DAY 27**

"I need to ask you something."

Minho's adoptive parents looked up from their breakfast. "What is it, dear?" his mother asked.

"When I first came here... I know it was long ago... but do you still have the stuff I brought with me?" he asked, nervously.

His mother smiled. "Of course. We'd never get rid of any of it."

Minho smiled in relief. "There was a pink bundle. Do you still have it?"

He knelt down on the floor and undid the knot on the bundle that held his childhood memories. He took a deep breath before reaching for the creased sheet of paper.

_ My dear son, _

_ Forgive me. It was selfish. I know. But I need you to understand why I'm doing this. I need you to know why I'm not with you anymore. I know you're too young to understand right now. But one day you will. _

_ When your father left us I felt as though everything we'd built as a family had been torn down. When he left, I lost a part of myself. He took with him my ability to love myself. I can't help but feel that the reason he left is because I am not good enough. And I can't help but feel guilty that the reason you no longer have a father is because I'm not good enough. _

_ And I know that you'll disagree with me. Because you love me as I am. But Minho, it's hard to accept that someone can love you, when someone else has already made you feel like you're not good enough. _

_ Minho, this is my plea to you. Never let anyone make you feel that you're not good enough. Be stronger than I am. _

_ I love you, _

_ Mom _

Minho closed his eyes as the tears began to spill onto his lap. "Thank you, mom," he whispered.


	36. Day Twenty Eight

Chan and Woojin were surprised to find Minho outside their door in the early hours of the morning. Chan let him in with a frown. "Minho? What are you doing here? When did you get back?"

Minho smiled. "I just got back, actually. And I need your help."

"With what?" Woojin asked, trying and failing to stifle his yawn. "And at 3 in the morning? You couldn't go home and get some sleep first?"

Minho shook his head and seated himself on the couch. "I was excited, so I had to do this now."

Chan exchanged a knowing look with Woojin. "And what is it that you need help with?"

Minho smiled shyly. "How do you tell someone that you love them?"

"What are you doing here so early in the morning?" Minho heard a whine from behind him and saw a half asleep Seungmin approaching, followed by a wide awake looking Jeongin.

"Yeah, what is it, hyung?" Jeongin grinned.

"Minho wants to know how to tell someone that he loves them," Chan explained.

Jeongin rolled his eyes. "It's easy. You just say 'I love you'."

"It's not that easy," Minho waved him away.

Woojin nodded. "Okay, so here's how Chan did it..."

_ Chan was in the kitchen, standing by the oven and staring at the chicken inside it. _

_ Woojin noticed and asked, "Are you really hungry?" _

_ "I actually just ate," Chan admitted. "But it's chicken and I –" _

_ "Love chicken, I know," Woojin laughed. He'd known Chan long enough to know how he felt about chicken. It was the one thing they'd always bonded over. _

_ "But you know what?" Chan's cheeks reddened as he prepared himself for what he was going to say. _

_ "What?" Woojin asked with a smile. _

_ "I think I love you more than I love chicken." _

_ Woojin laughed. "Yeah right." _

_ Chan frowned. "Woojin... I mean it." _

_ "You mean..." Woojin looked at him wide-eyed. _

_ Chan nodded. "I love you." _

_ "I..." Woojin blushed. "It's just so hard to believe..." _

_ Chan nodded. "Here." To Woojin's horror he turned the oven on full heat. _

_ "What are you doing?" Woojin asked, horrified. "You're going to ruin the chicken!" _

_ "I know," Chan smiled smugly. "I'm proving that I love you more than I love chicken." _

_ Woojin wacked his arm with the spoon, making him yelp. "But when did I ever say I love you more than chicken?" Woojin glared. He turned the oven back to normal heat, muttering "My precious chicken." _

Minho stared at them. "That was... um..."

"Nevermind that," Seungmin smiled smugly. "This is how Hyunjin did it..."

_ Seungmin packed books onto the shelf angrily. Why did he have to go and end things with Hyunjin? He could have just tolerated it a little longer. He missed Hyunjin so much. He heard the door open and sighed, hating to have to deal with customers when he was already in a bad mood. He took a deep breath and plastered a smile on his face. He turned around. "How can I help y –" _

_ He felt himself being pressed against the bookshelf. Hyunjin looked into his eyes, his hands cupping Seungmin's face. "Seungmin, I'm an ass." _

_ Seungmin nodded. "Finally realized it, huh?" _

_ "I also realized something else," Hyunjin smiled. "I love you, Seungmin." _

_ Seungmin's eyes widened and he gripped Hyunjin's collar, pulling him closer. "It took you long enough, you idiot." He pressed his lips against Hyunjin's – _

"Seungmin!" Chan and Woojin shouted in unison.

"We have a child here," Woojin scolded, gesturing to Jeongin who looked at them all strangely.

"Hyungs," Jeongin scratched his head. "If that's what love is like, I don't ever want to fall in love."

"Innie, they just make love sound bad, but trust me, it's amazing," Minho smiled.

"Are you going to Jisung?" Chan asked.

Minho shook his head. "I have a test today. That's important too, right?"

Chan nodded with a smile. "It is."

"Oh here you go," Minho handed him the spare key that he'd stolen. "I don't think I'll need this anymore. My own apartment is actually quite comfy."

Chan chuckled. "I understand. But remember, if you need us, you just have to knock on the door. We'll be here."

"If I'm sleeping, I'm not gonna be waking up to open the door," Jeongin disagreed.

Minho laughed on his way out. Chan and Woojin proudly watched him leave. "He's finally growing up," Chan dabbed at his eyes with a tissue and Woojin rubbed his back comfortingly.

"Better late than never," Seungmin shrugged, going back to sleep.


	37. Day Twenty Nine

Minho had spent almost the entire day trying to think of the most perfect way he could tell Jisung how he felt. He'd thought of everything from hot air balloons to hiring an orchestra, before Chan reminded him that he was confessing and not proposing marriage. It was almost 10pm and Minho couldn't take it anymore so he found himself wandering over to Jisung's apartment, waiting nervously with a few special packages in his hands.

Jisung opened his apartment door and his eyes lit up. "Minho!"

Minho smiled shyly. "Hey... Jisung."

"Come in," Jisung blushed.

Jisung gestured for Minho to sit on the couch but he shook his head. 

"Jisung... I know I said I wasn't afraid of commitment. But I lied. I was terrified of being in a relationship with anyone. But then I met you," Minho sighed. "And I'm still terrified. But now what scares me is the thought of not having you in my life. So Jisung... please stay in my life. Because... I love you. I'm in love with you."

Jisung felt his eyes fill with tears – tears of happiness. "Minho, you psycho," he threw his arms around Minho's neck, embracing him. "I love you so much."

Minho pulled back, keeping his arms around Jisung's waist. Jisung looked at him shyly. "It's rude to st –"

Jisung felt Minho's lips caress his. Their lips moved in perfect synchronization. Minho was surprised when he felt Jisung's tongue swipe his bottom lip. He parted his lips, letting their kiss get more heated. Jisung moaned onto his tongue and stepped closer to Minho only to find his way being blocked by a few shopping bags.

"Minho, what on earth...?" Jisung peered into the bags on the floor, frowning at the fruits and vegetables.

Minho giggled. "You see, I bought groceries because I want to umm..." he blushed. "I want to..." He giggled, unable to say it.

"You want to what?" Jisung found himself giggling at how flustered Minho was.

"I want to do domestic stuff with you," Minho said shyly, his cheeks heating up.

Jisung burst into laughter and cupped Minho's face. "I'd love to do domestic stuff with you. But it can wait till tomorrow. Right now, I just want to..." he yawned, "kiss you."

Minho raised his eyebrows. "Right now, you just need to sleep." Jisung gasped when Minho lifted him into his arms and began carrying him to the bedroom.

"You'll stay?" Jisung asked, his eyes already closing as Minho tucked him into bed.

"I have no reason not to," Minho smiled, kicking off his shoes and lying down next to Jisung.

He kissed Jisung's forehead as the younger began to softly snore. Minho placed his arm around Jisung, holding him close as he drifted off to sleep.

 


	38. The First Day of Forever

Jisung opened his eyes, gasping when he found Minho asleep beside him. So it wasn't a dream. He smiled to himself and blushed when Minho's eyes opened and he peered at Jisung from underneath his eyelashes. "Good morning, baby," Minho smiled, placing his hand on Jisung's cheek.

Jisung giggled. "Good morning." He sat up on his elbows, his feet in the air. "Ready to do domestic stuff?" he wiggled his eyebrows.

Minho smirked. "Domestic stuff like this?" He pulled Jisung forward so that Jisung was leaning on his chest.

"Something like this," Jisung smirked, placing his lips on Minho's, savouring their softness and their taste. He pulled back after a few seconds, his eye catching the calendar on his desk. "Guess what?"

"What is it?" Minho smiled.

"Today is your thirtieth day of commitment," Jisung clapped excitedly.

Minho shook his head. "Nope."

"No?" Jisung asked, confused. "But –"

Minho placed a finger on his lips. "It's not my thirtieth day of commitment. It's my first day of forever with you."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My dear readers <3
> 
> Thank you so much for reading this book. I really hope you enjoyed it (at least a little).
> 
> I unconsciously put so much of myself into Jisung's character and so I unknowingly shared a small piece of my life with you. Let me explain. Like Jisung, I suffer from social anxiety and depression.
> 
> From personal experience, it requires a lot of patience to care for someone with anxiety and depression – especially when they have no one else to depend on. You become more like a parent than a partner. So Felix being overprotective of Jisung by disapproving of Minho, was more parental rather than romantic. Don't worry – he loves his Binnie.
> 
> Let's talk about Felix for a little while. I was also in a relationship with someone for six years. And that person broke up with me for the same reason Felix broke up with Jisung – sometimes it gets to a point where it's just too much. 
> 
> Honestly, I'd prefer someone running away to another country and not telling me the truth about why they're leaving. In my case, I was told "you're too much to handle and so I'm breaking up with you". In my opinion, Felix lying that he just needed to move away to be with his family was his way of trying not to hurt Jisung – something I would have preferred.
> 
> Every read, every comment, and every kudos means SO MUCH to me.
> 
> Please take care <3  
> Flora


	39. What Happens in Vegas...

“I’m telling you,” Minho whined. “They’re getting  _ married _ . Without us.”

It had been a few hours since they found the two plane tickets in Chan’s bag. All Jeongin wanted was the new Wi-Fi password. Chan and Woojin cut off his internet access because he kept watching YouTube videos instead of doing his college assignments. Of course, when he came across the tickets the first thing he did was tell Minho. 

“That doesn’t even make sense,” Jisung rolled his eyes. “Why would they get married in Vegas? And why wouldn’t they tell us?”

“Maybe they haven’t saved up enough for a proper wedding,” Jeongin pouted. 

“Or they just wanted to be adventurous,” Hyunjin shrugged.

“But you wouldn’t want to do that, right?” Seungmin looked at him with wide eyes. “I mean, you want a proper wedding, right? With everyone there, right? Not something rushed in Vegas, right?”

Hyunjin shifted uncomfortably. “Well, yeah, I guess… I mean…”

“Great,” Seungmin sighed in relief.

“They have issues,” Minho whispered into Jisung’s ear.

“They do,” Jisung agreed, whispering back. “I mean, there’s nothing wrong with a small ceremony in Vegas.”

Minho gaped at him. “What? You don’t want a wedding?”

“No, of course not,” Jisung cringed. “Weddings have lots of people. And they’re a waste of money.”

“Oh,” Minho nodded, trying not to show his disappointment. “But would you consider –"

“So what are we going to do?” Jeongin interrupted. “We can’t just let them go to Vegas without us.”

“They’re not,” Minho smiled smugly. “We’ll just book tickets for the same flight.”

They heard the apartment door open and they immediately kept silent as Chan and Woojin entered the living room. “Why are these people in our apartment more than we are?” Woojin huffed.

“I live here,” Seungmin and Jeongin said in unison.

“We’re not talking about you twobabies,” Chan gave them a reassuring smile. He pointed to the others. “I’m talking about  _ them _ .”

“Your apartment is just more homely,” Hyunjin attempted to explain.

“What he means,” Minho snickered, “is that your apartment contains Seungmin.”

Hyunjin and Seungmin both reddened at his comment. 

“I still have my eye on you,” Woojin narrowed his eyes at Hyunjin.

“Anyway, we wanted to ask something,” Jeongin said quickly, sensing that their conversation was being side-tracked. “What are your plans for this weekend?”

“Oh,” Chan exchanged a look with Woojin. “Well, I umm… Woojin has to attend a conference and I’m going with him.”

“But you just started working,” Seungmin frowned. “You already have to attend conferences?”

“It’s a demanding job,” Woojin shrugged.

“Woojin,” Minho folded his arms. “You bought a fried chicken restaurant. What kind of conferences are you attending?”

“I – I… umm…” Woojin spluttered. “You know… Conferences on umm… how best to fry chicken and things like that.”

“Well, we better get packing,” Chan gave them a smile before pulling Woojin to their bedroom.

“Book those tickets,” Seungmin whispered to Minho. “Fast.”

  


“They’re flying first class,” Minho explained to everyone. “So they won’t see us if we fly in economy.”

“Are you sure about this?” Jisung asked as they began boarding the plane. “We could just give them privacy.”

“Privacy?” Jeongin gave him an offended look. “Why would we give them privacy?”

“Honestly,” Seungmin chuckled and shook his head at him. “Why would they need privacy?”

Jisung gave them all a disbelieving look before following them all onto the plane.

“Don’t worry!” Hyunjin nudged Jisung. “This is going to be fun,” he giggled, waving his hands in the air like he’s at a party. The air hostesses gave him strange looks before politely asking him to take his seat. 

  


“Okay, we landed, but now what?” Jisung looked blankly at the rest of the group.

“Well,” Jeongin frowned at his phone. “Chan received an email confirmation for a resort booking. So I know where we need to go.”

Everyone looked at him in surprise. “How…?” Hyunjin began.

“When you live with someone, you get to know stuff,” Jeongin shrugged. “Like email passwords.”

They arrived at the resort and Minho grudgingly agreed to pay for their rooms. “Now how do we find them?” he wondered out loud.

“Simple,” Jisung sighed. “We just need to find the area where they do weddings and see if they made a booking. It’s a Saturday so the ceremonies are usually done from 6pm onwards. And that’s in an hour.”

“How do you know this?” Minho raised his eyebrows.

“Oh,” Jisung blushed. “I – I just did some research. For… scientific reasons.”

“I love Vegas! I love Vegas!” Hyunjin began shouting.

They all looked at him in surprise, and embarrassment.

“Hyunjin, baby, what are you doing?” Seungmin shook his head.

Hyunjin pointed at strangers passing by in the lobby. “It’s an ‘I love Vegas’ t-shirt! I want one,” he began jumping excitedly. 

“Seungmin,” Minho huffed. “Take your embarrassing boyfriend to find that t-shirt. We’ll go find the wedding sites. There are two. We’ll go to this one,” he pointed to a location on the map that was on a nearby wall.

“I’m going with Seungmin and Hyunjin!” Jeongin clapped excitedly. 

“Please don’t lose the child,” Jisung warned Hyunjin and Seungmin.

Jeongin murmured something about only being a few months younger but no one paid attention.

  


“This isn’t so bad for wedding,” Jisung murmured as they entered the area where wedding ceremonies were performed. It almost looked like a church, except he was pretty sure there would be a priest at a real church. This marriage official wore shorts and was shirtless.

“You can’t be serious,” Minho shook his head. “A nice white wedding – that’s the best.”

“Ridiculous,” Jisung rolled his eyes. “We could use all that money for something more important.”

“A wedding  _ is _ important,” Minho argued. “It’s an important rite of passage.”

“Not really,” Jisung disagreed. “A wedding is just a fancy, over-expensive way of telling people you’re in love.”

“I refuse to get married in a place like this,” Minho frowned, tugging on Jisung’s hand so the younger would stop and look at him.

“Well, then,” Jisung looked at him sceptically. “Let’s just not get married then.”

“What?” Minho gasped. “But – but…”

“Why are we even arguing about this?” Jisung laughed. “It’s not like you actually asked me to marry you or anything.”

“Yeah but I’m going t –"

Minho quickly shut his mouth, realizing what he was going to give away. “Let’s just check this register.”

They scanned the list of names and exchanged a confused look.  “Their names aren’t here,” Jisung frowned. “We’re in the right place, aren’t we?”

Minho nodded. “I’m sure we are.”

They were distracted by the loud footsteps and panting coming towards them. They turned around to find an out of breath Seungmin and Hyunjin.

“W-we…” Seungmin began stuttering.

“We lost Jeongin,” Hyunjin finished for him.

  


They went around showing people photographs of Jeongin. Minho tried to ask for help from people passing by but most people weren’t interested in helping when they found out that Jeongin wasn’t five years old, but was a 19 year old adult.

He tapped the shoulder of someone standing outside one of the resort’s cafes. “Excuse me, I’m looking for – Chan?!”

Chan and Woojin looked at him in shock. “What are you doing here?” Woojin asked, his jaw dropping at the sight of Jisung, Hyunjin and Seungmin.

“We umm…” Seungmin chuckled nervously.

“We came to see if you’re getting married,” Hyunjin shrugged, being honest.

They all shot him deathly glares, but Chan and Woojin just looked at them like they were crazy. “Getting  _ married _ ?” Chan grimaced. “ _ Here _ ?”

“We just wanted a vacation,” Woojin sighed. “By ourselves… Like… Without you all.”

“Oh god,” Chan’s eyes widened. “You guys left Jeongin home  _ alone _ ?”

They all exchanged guilty looks. “Nope,” Jisung bit his lip. “We brought him with us.”

“Where is he?” Chan asked, peering behind them.

“We lost him,” Seungmin admitted.

  


“Can’t believe they lost the kid,” Chan muttered angrily, heading out of a souvenir store they just searched.

“So irresponsible,” Woojin shook his head. “We can’t leave them alone for a minute.”

“We’ll find him,” Minho reassured them, but they just glared at him.

They were passing the second wedding site, decorated similarly to the first, except this one was occupied by people getting ready for their ceremony. The marriage official, Minho noticed, was dressed like Santa. He stopped and stared in distaste. He was about to move on when he saw someone he didn’t expect.

“Guys!” he called out. “I – I found him!”

The group hurried to where Minho stood, jaws dropping as they witnessed the scene. Two men were getting married. They stood at the altar, dressed in matching blue suits. And to their right, was Jeongin, dressed in…

“Is he wearing a _pink_ _suit_?” Minho made a face. 

“It’s cool,” Hyunjin argued. “Those sunglasses though… Why is he wearing sunglasses?”

“Vegas,” Seungmin shrugged in response.

“They kidnapped our Jeongin!” Woojin rushed into the room angrily. “Give us our Jeongin back!” he yelled, making everyone jump in fright.

The Santa took a hasty step back when he saw Woojin rushing towards the altar. The couple turned to face them and everyone stopped in their tracks.

“Felix? Changbin?” Jisung looked at them in surprise. “What are you doing here?”

“Getting married,” Changbin shrugged. “Well, I was – until you all burst in.”

“Good to see you all again,” Felix laughed.

“You – you have our Jeongin,” Chan gave them an accusatory look.

“He wondered over here and he agreed to be our witness,” Changbin explained. “This was kind of last minute. And when we ran into him we asked him to join us for a few minutes.”

“What happened to the wedding in Australia?” Jisung raised an eyebrow. 

“We started planning it and everything,” Felix sighed. “But it just got so stressful, you know. This is so much easier.”

“Planning the wedding was expensive. And it cost us a lot of sleep too,” Changbin admitted.

“See,” Jisung nudged Minho and gave him a smug smile.

“Are you guys  _ still _ getting married?” the Santa asked, giving Felix and Changbin a questioning look. 

“Of course,” Changbin. “Looks like we have a few more witnesses too.” He looked at the group for confirmation.

Jisung smiled. “You do,” he grinned.

They all sat on the benches and watched as the couple took their vows.

Minho smiled to himself, thinking of the little black box that he’d hidden away at his apartment. “Our time will come,” he whispered, his arm around Jisung. I just need the perfect opportunity.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again, thank you to everyone who has taken the time to read this book. I spend about an hour everyday reading the comments that I get in my email notifications. They all make smile and laugh. Thank you very much for that. I hope this book has brought you as much joy as you all bring me.   
> I'll post another special chapter soon!
> 
> Lots of love,
> 
> Flora
> 
> If you need me:
> 
> Twitter: flora_stays

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading <3  
> Twitter/instagram: @flora_stays


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